“I ain’t going to pick no one,” joked Roy when asked which Trail Blazers have swagger. “Me, I got all the swag.
“Honestly, in their own way, everybody has a swagger about themselves. Joel be swaggin’, Bayless be swaggin’. I think some guys who don’t really have it. Trav is kind of real low-key. He don’t be swaggin’. LA be swaggin.’ Blake every once in a while, but not really. Sergio, not really. Sometimes he puts those little tight jackets on.”
The idea that clothing plays a role when it comes to swagger, typified by Roy’s mention of Rodriguez’s “little tight jackets,” was echoed by a few of the players. Clothes, as the saying goes, may make the man, but they also make the swag.
“Nic got some French swag,” said Frye. “He don’t really say much, but he’ll hit you with the French words. Nic is a cool cat, man. He’s a little young right now. I think you’re going to see Nic’s swag come out a little bit. With his little chains, his little watch and stuff. You know, Nic got a lot of swag to him, it’s just quiet swag.”
Despite being the quietest guy in the locker room, Batum was singled out by nearly all of his teammates when it comes to swagger, proving that swag transcends languages and cultures.
“Nicolas Batum, Mr. Smooth,” said Outlaw. “You see him, when he block a shot or something, he look out at the crowd. And I’m like, ‘OK Nic, swag on out on ‘em!’ He just Mr. Smooth, the kid from France.”
