Of all the micro-storylines and interesting tidbits to come out of Duke basketball’s fifth championship run, one of the most interesting came by way of a player who didn’t see a single minute of playing time—but still managed to capture an entire fan base's attention.
Junior Sean Obi is a forward for the Blue Devils. Transferring from Rice last Spring after the resignation of former Owls head coach Ben Braun, Obi had to ride the pine for a year due to NCAA transfer rules. But just because he was relegated to the bench didn't mean he took a backseat during Duke’s title run. With a few well-constructed outfits and the magic of Twitter, Obi went from being a nameless transfer to a Blue Devils cult fashion god in just a few weeks' time.
Before one digs into Sean Obi the trendsetter, one should get to know Sean Obi the player—the reason he currently resides in Durham. When Obi finally takes the floor for Duke, he will be a player unique to the current state of basketball.
In today’s game, everyone is concerned with high-flying wing players or dominant-yet-agile big men. Obi fits into neither category. He is a throwback post player, to be grouped with low-block workhorses like current NBA standouts Zach Randolph and Al Jefferson. His work on the court isn’t made for Top 10 lists or highlight reels but is absolutely necessary for a team to succeed.
Looking back at game film of Obi when he was at Rice, it is clear why the Blue Devil staff was after him. In the paint, he is a bull, using all 270 pounds of his 6-foot-9 frame to butt heads with opposing would-be rebounders and snatch any loose ball away.
“I’m really physical when it comes to playing,” Obi said. “I’m really physical and I play very good post defense. Rebounding is something I enjoy doing.”
At the beginning of the year, Obi’s time off seemed to be a minor issue—then the season got underway for Duke.
Following Semi Ojeleye’s decision to transfer, Rasheed Sulaimon’s dismissal and the slew of injuries that come with a basketball season, the Blue Devils suddenly lacked the depth they once boasted. Although neither Ojeleye or Sulaimon were having particularly impressive campaigns, they still provided bodies in practice and off the bench for head coach Mike Krzyzewski to call to action.
Despite being forced to sit out and book his own travel to away games, Obi was still allowed to practice with the team, and it was on the practice courts where he would make his presence known.
In addition to the individual work the players would go through—five-on-five was mostly eliminated due to the lack of bodies—Obi would stay after practice with former Blue Devil Jahlil Okafor for roughly 30 minutes to prepare the National Freshman of the Year for what was coming in the NCAA tournament.
“We’d stay back an extra 30 minutes, just me guarding him, getting him ready because that’s what he’s going to face when the tournament came up for him,” Obi said. “He told me, at a point, he said, ‘Sean, I want you to hurt me.’ That’s how you know when someone actually wants to get better, and that’s the good thing about Jahlil.”
Although rebounding has always been Obi’s calling card, it is this—his one-on-one post defense—that caused the Duke coaching staff to take a second look at him in their recruiting process and is ultimately what won them over in 2014.
“[Obi] was in high school with Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons,” associate head coach Jeff Capel said. “Andre was on our U.S. team. Andre says, to this day, he was the toughest guy he ever had to play, as far as having the hardest time scoring on. Sean is really strong—really strong and really physical. He was good for us in practice this past year playing against Jah.”
Obi was good for more than just practice, though—the staff just didn't know it yet.
Although relegated to the end of the bench, his presence was still felt on gameday, just not through his actions on the court. Rather, it was his sense of fashion that quickly catapulted him to Twitter fame.
When Duke has transfers, the coaching staff advises them to dress well—i.e., no sweats—when cheering on the Blue Devils from the bench. Obi went above and beyond, somehow managing to use each game's outfit to outdo the one before. A dark jacket and freshly pressed pants or jeans were staples—but it was the different pair of fresh kicks for each occasion that really turned heads.
“He’s always dressed to impress for all the games," senior forward Amile Jefferson said. "He always looked good, and that’s a good thing. He’s a stylish guy. It’ll be good to see him in a Duke jersey next year helping us win games, but for an entire year, he always came dressed as his best.”
Whether it was the Yeezy Red Octobers or a finer Allen Edmond-esque selection, Obi dressed to impress and—Duke fans being Duke fans—people took notice.
Just a few games into the season, the Twitter mentions began to trickle in.
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By the end of December, it was full-fledged—Obi was a Blue Devil cult fashion god.
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In addition to Duke cruising through its ACC competition—post-N.C. State and Miami losses, of course—people were paying attention to what Obi was rocking to the latest Blue Devil contest and letting the new kid on the block know about it.
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“I didn’t think it would [get any attention]. I just did it because that’s the kind of guy I am,” he said. “I was surprised at a point because it got a little bit too much and I was like okay, I’m going to have to put on a normal t-shirt. Duke fans are great…. I retweeted some of the stuff to show the fans I appreciate Duke fans, and that’s about it. I didn’t take it too crazy.”
It was no accident that Obi was receiving the attention—even if it was not what he was going for. Under the microscope that is Duke men's basketball, something like a freshly-dressed transfer will pick up steam.
Perhaps even more impressive than Obi's ability to draw this attention from a simple outfit was the fact that—like basketball—fashion is a natural gift.
"I’m not obsessed with fashion, but it just comes natural. I just put things together—I never know what I’m wearing, I just go to my wardrobe before a game and say I’m going to wear this," Obi said. “A lot of it comes from my mom—she’s a designer and she’s good with that—but I just naturally just go to my wardrobe and say, ‘That looks good, I’ll wear that today.’ I just throw it on."
Although select fans may be sad to hear it, Obi is not at Duke just to look good. Next year the big man will play a key role as a defender and rebounder as the Blue Devils seek back-to-back titles.
Still, even Obi sounded nostalgic when thinking back on his days as the best dressed Blue Devil. But after giving it some thought—at least a minute's worth—Obi decided that of all the shoes he now owns, his pair of Duke team gameday shoes rank as his favorite pair.
And if you think the end of Obi's bench days mean the end of his fashion career, think again—after all, he's got a reputation to uphold.
"I look good every day," Obi said. "Obviously I’m not going to wear a jacket in the summer. I wear my sports stuff to class to look comfortable, and we’re always in the gym. But if we’re going out to dinner or something, I always have to look good."
Editor's Note: If you haven’t heard about Obi’s story of how he went from living in Nigeria and never having played basketball to a national champion in just five years, go here. We sat down with him in the fall to hear his story.
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