Athletes have, for a considerable amount of time, used fashion to express themselves and the hooping world is no stranger to this practice. Not only has it helped them earn millions in endorsement deals but has also acted as a medium to connect to the audience beyond the hardwood. The case for Silas Demary Jr.’s idol Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is no different. He recently became the face of SKIMS’ new line of underwear along with soccer stars Nick Bosa and Neymar Jr. Plus, Alexander has also amassed around 3.4 million followers on the social media networking site Instagram for styling sense- something that Demary Jr. admires but doesn’t want to replicate.

Silas Demary Jr. in an exclusive chat with EssentiallySports revealed that he would not copy Alexander’s style despite his admiration for the same. Our correspondent BG-12 asked the 20-year-old to reveal his thoughts about Alexander’s fashion sense and if he would also try to emulate it considering Alexander is in demand. Let’s see what Demary Jr. had to say.

Silas Demary Jr.: “I would say obviously, I don’t try to dress the way he does coz he’s, he’s very different when it comes to that. But I like how he’s, he has his own sense of style. I feel like I’ve kind of grown into not trying to just like everybody, but have my own sense of style and then just the way that he’s, he’s confident himself at all times. Like, his confidence is at an all-time high, all the time and I feel like I’m, I’m working on that. I’m confident but if I can get it to where it’s like 90-95% of the time, I feel as one of the main goals, I’ll be able to accomplish.”

Alexander has grown in stature since getting drafted into the NBA in 2018. As per Demary Jr., Alexander’s fashion sense has fueled his confidence. Blending “high fashion” with “street-wear”, the 26-year-old turns a lot of eyes wherever he goes to. In fact, when Alexander was featured in the spring issue of Dazed this year, he remarked that via his sense of styling, he is moving towards a path of more creative freedom.

Moving on, as for Demary Jr., he is currently registering decent performance and maybe once he gets his full confidence, he will perform even better. He averaged a decent 9.7 points with 3.8 rebounds per game during his freshman year with the Bulldogs. Despite having offers from the University of Southern California Trojans, Wake Forest, Alabama, NC State, Tennessee, and Arizona State. However, the North Carolina-born chose the Bulldogs due to his proximity to the head coach Mike White. Meanwhile, Demary Jr. hasn’t expressed his fondness for Alexander on the camera for the first time.

This isn’t the first time Silas Demary Jr. expressed his adoration for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander!

During a conversation in 2023, Demary Jr. shared how he admires Alexander. And that time, it was for his balling capabilities. Taking cognizance of Alexander’s movement to a leadership role after playing a supporting fiddle with the Clippers, Demary Jr. had expressed that Alexander “did what the team needed and earned his stripes.” Post that, he was traded to the Thunder where he became a “team leader and showcase(d) his full ability.”

And now, Demary Jr. has come forward to express his liking for Alexander’s fashion sense and hopes to acquire the same confidence over time.

Hopefully, Demary Jr. will soon be able to develop his complete potential and showcase his talent. Till then, he can continue to enchant us with his pictures on social media. As for Alexander, he can only look to grow and inspire an entire generation.