Forget the preseason rankings. The first competition of the upcoming season is already underway: Who showed up to NBA Media Day with the best look?
Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard will not be a strong candidate, but he surely grabbed attention with his radical makeover. He showed up with scruffy hair and a full-grown mustache, making him look 10 years older than he did before.
Is he going through a quarterlife crisis?
The Rockets Wire's Ben DuBose shared Sheppard's new look, and of course, fans on X made fun of it.
New look for Reed Sheppard pic.twitter.com/e9e2SO0QpO
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) September 22, 2026
“Looks like they just picked him up from a campus bar,” said @__super_saiyan.
“Looks like Pablo Escobar. He took his nickname a little too seriously,” added @Z_bball30, referring to Reed's viral moniker of “Cocaine Curry.”
@Jayy_Hardyy252 compared the third-year guard to Jack Black.
Article Continues BelowNacho Libre 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/RhXrpy2T1x
— Jay (@Jayy_Hardyy252) September 22, 2026
“Is he auditioning for the Scooby Doo movie?” asked @Spive65.
“Can't wait for him to open for Arctic Monkeys,” joked @deathbysexy.
When asked to explain his unkempt appearance, the 22-year-old Sheppard said he simply has not gotten a haircut yet.
“I don't really know what I'm waiting on. My goal was to get one before Media Day, but as you can tell, that goal did not happen,” said the No. 3 pick in his media conference.
Sheppard was impressive in his sophomore season, hiking up his averages to 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 26.2 minutes. He played all 82 games and was among the contenders for Sixth Man of the Year.
It remains unclear whether he will be among the contenders for Best Unexpected Mustache of the Preseason.