What NBA player Kelly Oubre Jr. has been up to during the coronavirus pandemic
Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. isn't just rehabbing during the coronavirus pandemic.
He's also working hard on his brand, while seemingly always living by the phrase, “Different but dope.”
Oubre, who underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in early March, spends his mornings working out in his backyard before going into his office and unlocking his inner creativity: sketching, drawing, creating music and learning how to make beats.
Basketball is the 24-year-old's first priority, but Oubre has grand plans for his “Dope Soul” brand, hoping to impact the fashion game like Louis Vuitton menswear creative director Virgil Abloh.
“I want to be one of the biggest artists in the world,” Oubre told Yahoo Sports via phone from his Phoenix home. “You see how a guy like Virgil has come onto the scene and put his own blueprint on what fashion is, creating his own lanes, being an influential voice, and that's what I want to be.
“I just want to create timeless, classic pieces that will be around 100 years from now, and that people will be happy they got their hands on. I just see myself being in that crazy, Kanye genius conversation.”
The fifth-year pro quickly became known for his unique sense of style, with his fashion choices frequently making headlines. In that respect, Oubre greatly respects rapper Travis Scott, 27. They both grew up in Missouri City, Texas.
“I would hear stories about this weird kid who was just different, but he was dope in a sense, and that's how I always felt about myself,” said Oubre, who followed Scott's career dating back to the rapper's high school days. “People just never really gravitated to that until I had a name.
“I admire him a lot — how he was just himself the whole way and became a mogul — and he did it from pretty much the same streets I grew up on.”
As for his own rap game, however, Oubre says, “I'm not trying to be a rapper. I just like making music and art. I don't really take it too much to heart.”
Recently, Oubre put out a video of himself designing a potential new logo for his brand.
“S---, I'm from New Orleans, so art has always been part of my culture,” he said. “People can really see my passion that comes organically, and I want to make people feel better about themselves and feel confident with the clothes that they wear just like they do for me.”
Constantly motivated
Oubre has always felt slighted by where he was taken in the 2015 NBA draft. And he continues to use that perceived slight — after being selected No. 15 overall — as fuel.
“Draft night wasn't necessarily the most positive night for me,” Oubre told Yahoo Sports. “I was happy that my dream came true, but there were 14 names called before me. I respect all 14 of those guys and we're in the same class, but I didn't think that 14 guys were better than me in that draft class, and I'm going to continue to prove that until the day I retire, so that's my motivation.”
Before getting hurt in his first season as a full-time starter, Oubre was averaging career-highs in both points (18.7 per game) and rebounds (6.4) for Phoenix while shooting 35.2 percent from 3-point range. The Suns (26-39), however, remain in rebuilding mode, with a young core in place built around Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker.
“I'm pretty multi-faceted [in terms of my interests], so a lot of people don't really respect my game when it comes down to it, but that's what I'm here for is to put some respect on my name and my game,” he said. “I’m going to continue to just work my butt off like I've been doing and just get better every day.”
Oubre, who signed a two-year, $30 million deal to remain in Phoenix prior to this season, recently changed agents, joining Unique Sports Management, which is run by Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris' father, Torrel. “He and my dad formed a relationship over the last couple years, and he's very vetted in the business and the industry,” Oubre said of Torrel Harris. “He empowers me and lifts me to be the best player and best teammate that I can be.”
As for what's to come, Oubre says, “I want to help my team get to the playoffs, get far in the playoffs, and potentially win a championship one day. I feel like I'm a vital piece for a team, and I want to continue to show that, that I'm an elite two-way player — not just a 3-and-D player or a lockdown defender.”
Staying safe and setting an example
Oubre recently donated 750 basketballs to children in Phoenix, while encouraging those youngsters to join his “Be Great Isolate Challenge” and participate in home workouts.
“I mean, that's the purpose of my platform right now, is that every pain and every hardship that I went through, I want to make it a little easier for the next kid to go through that same thing and be invested in his or her life path,” said Oubre, a New Orleans native who lived in the Magnolia Projects before moving to Texas due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“You can't control someone else's life, but you can try and help to the best of your ability, and that's just my purpose — helping kids, families and whoever needs help.”
For now, Oubre is following all the proper protocols and precautions, as everyone is encouraged to stay confined to their respective homes due to the coronavirus. “Once the NBA season shut down I think it became real for everybody,” he said. “It's not something that we can control with a vitamin or a pill. It's a serious matter. I'm just praying for everyone's health and safety.”
Suns players communicate with one another via group chat. Oubre's father, Kelly Sr., is with him in Phoenix, while his mother, Tonya Coleman, is in New Orleans and his sister, Amber, is in Washington D.C. “My family is safe, but we're checking in on each other to make sure we're healthy and doing well,” Oubre said.
Oubre has had to adjust his rehab process during the pandemic because he doesn’t have access to the team's facilities, but he continues to make progress at home. “I've just been staying on top of myself and pushing myself and doing everything they're telling me to do to the best of my abilities,” Oubre said. “So I've been having to be my own trainer throughout this whole thing, but that's how it goes.”
Oubre even left open the possibility that he could be back in the lineup depending on when the NBA returns to action. But for the time being, he gets to be creative while already paving a potential path to his post-basketball career.
“That's the plan, definitely, setting myself up to be my own boss outside of basketball and doing it in the fields that I love,” Oubre said.
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