The story behind Ben Sheppard's mustache: 'I feel like it's like a part of me now'
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Ben Sheppard started growing his mustache out on a whim after the Pacers took him with the No. 26 pick in the 2023 draft. He was clean shaven as a college player at Belmont and stayed that way long enough to take all of the post-draft photos alongside fellow first-round pick Jarace Walker. Then he just started letting his facial hair grow.
By the start of NBA Summer League in 2023, he was showing some stubble, but eventually gave up on everything but the hair above his lip. By training camp he had a full-grown mustache
"At first I couldn't grow any other facial hair except for a mustache," Sheppard said, "but I like how it looks on me."
His parents, David and Susan, were not as big of fans and suggested he shave it off. Ben was about to acquiesce, but then he saw a picture of them at their wedding and noticed that his father had a mustache that was almost exactly the same as his.
"I just wanted to keep it after that," Sheppard said.
At that point David bought into the idea, Ben said, because what could he say? Susan was still more than skeptical but eventually had to surrender.
"It probably took my mom a year to accept the fact that I have a mustache," Sheppard said. "But my dad likes everything that I do."
It has since become the defining feature of Sheppard's aesthetic as he's settled into a rotation role as the Pacers' high-energy, low-maintenance wing off the bench -- an 80s style 'stache shitting above a seemingly permanent smile.
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New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't try to ‘reinvent the wheel' but he's rewriting NBA Finals history
OKLAHOMA CITY — Go ahead and join in on the silly chant if you so please. 'Freee-throoow merrrchaaant …' the Indiana Pacers faithful will likely boom at Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when these NBA Finals relocate for Game 3 on Wednesday. Or, if history repeats itself, keep engaging in those silly online discussions about how the reigning MVP just isn't aesthetically pleasing enough to watch to warrant all the hype that surrounds him. Advertisement Those are fool's errands, to be sure. But for the vast majority of this season, in which the 26-year-old has been playing his way into the NBA annals, dazzling with his smooth style and misdirection magic while carrying this Thunder team that evened the finals with a 123-107 win in Game 2 on Sunday night, they've been happening nonetheless. Maybe the basketball-loving folks in the Hoosier State will surprise us all and break this disrespectful trend. As SGA's 34-point, eight-assist, five-rebound outing in the Thunder's revenge game reminded the masses, there's a drumbeat quality to his game that often undercuts the public's ability, or willingness, perhaps, to appreciate what he does. He gets to his spots, reads (and confuses) the defense, then makes the proper choice on whether to score or dish with an accuracy that is remarkable and unspectacular all at once. He doesn't soar through the air like Ja Morant or Anthony Edwards for the viral dunk or fill up the box score in quite the same fashion as the magnificent Nikola Jokić, but he has managed to end all of their seasons during this seven-week playoff stretch that is quietly on pace to be one of the best of all time. Not that his legion of haters has bothered to notice. Let's start with the micro. By scoring a combined 72 points in his first two NBA Finals games, Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed the great Allen Iverson (71 points) as the leader in that niche category. It's worth noting because there was some revealing criticism of his Game 1 performance, when he scored 38 points in the Thunder's jaw-dropping loss but had just three assists (while shooting 14 of 30 from the field). Everyone is fair game to scrutinize after a loss of that magnitude, and the fact that he missed his last two shots in the final 66 seconds was an understandable part of that discussion, but it's still mildly hilarious that any player could be deemed not good enough with a borderline 40-burger. Advertisement Now for the macro. Through 18 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.8 points, 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals in these playoffs. You know how many guys have ever had a postseason like that, hitting those marks (30-6-5-1.8) during a playoff run in which they played at least 16 games? TWO. And you're probably familiar with their names. Michael Jordan (four times) and LeBron James (twice). That's the list — for now. That comes, of course, after Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring during the regular season while leading the Thunder to a 68-14 mark, the No. 1-ranked defense and the league's best point differential of all time. So yeah, maybe it's time to stop with all the nitpicking and give this young man his flowers. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle certainly did after Game 2. '(With) Shai, you can mark down 34 points before they even get on the plane tomorrow for the next game,' he said. 'The guy's going to score. We've got to find ways to make it as tough as possible on him.' One might say that's a different way of deeming SGA unstoppable. Yet even with Carlisle's comment, it's notable that he wasn't asked a single question about Gilgeous-Alexander's performance. He shoehorned that insight into a question about the Thunder's offensive depth. On this night, like so many that have come before it, it was as if Gilgeous-Alexander's massive part in the Thunder win was such a given that it wasn't even worth discussing. But that consistency shouldn't be taken for granted. As these last two series have shown, there's a difference between a superstar like Gilgeous-Alexander, who shows out almost every single night, and the stars like Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, who are more of a roller-coaster experience. Haliburton's incredible game winner in Game 1 disguised that he was largely ineffective leading up to that magical moment. Three nights later, with Lu Dort and Cason Wallace making him so miserable throughout, he was MIA when it mattered most (three points, three assists in the first half) before finishing with 17 points, six assists and five turnovers. Advertisement Two games in, here's how the battle of the point guards is sizing up … SGA: 36 points, 5.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and two turnovers per game. Haliburton: 15.5 points, 6.0 assists, 6.5 rebounds, one steal and four turnovers per game. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault is the least shocked observer of them all. 'Yeah, unsurprising at this point,' he said afterward. 'It's just kind of what he does. He just continues to progress and improve and rise to every occasion that he puts himself in and that we put ourselves in. I thought his floor game tonight was really, really in a great rhythm. I thought everyone played better individually, and I thought we played better collectively. I think that was a byproduct.' For Gilgeous-Alexander's part, the (elite) work continues from here. Whether people are going to appreciate it or not. 'I'm being myself,' he said. 'I don't think I tried to reinvent the wheel or step up to the plate with a different mindset. Just try to attack the game the right way. I think I've done a pretty good job of that so far. Now, I would trade the points for two W's, for sure. But this is where our feet are. This is where we are. You can't go back in the past. You can only make the future better. That's what I'm focused on.' It was quite fitting that SGA made that statement while wearing his customary shades, for his future is indeed so bright that it's blinding. He wore a T-shirt that featured the late, great John Lennon as well. Just imagine the possibilities that lie ahead for him and these Thunder.
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
First two games of NBA Finals showed Pacers' good and bad. They have one more weapon: Indy
OKLAHOMA CITY – Now, the terms are set. Each in a way as distinct as the two results, Games 1 and 2 of these NBA Finals have shown us the viable paths for Indiana and Oklahoma City to winning this year's NBA title. The one variable left to introduce — Indianapolis — enters the mix Wednesday night, after the Thunder's 123-107 win Sunday night effectively reduced this seven-game series to five. For those Thunder, Sunday unfolded according to the formula: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's brilliance lighting the game as his natural gravity simultaneously pulled his supporting cast into it, while Oklahoma City's exhausting defense made hard work of everything at the other end of the floor. Thunder-struck: No miracle comeback this time as OKC buries Pacers in Game 2 And for Indiana, Game 1 reminded a league expecting something akin to an OKC coronation that the Pacers are older, they are deeper, they are molded and polished by the sheer number of times they have stared failure in the face without flinching and, because of it, they live by one of sport's most important lessons: No game is over if you refuse to let it go. So much of what we believed about these two teams coming into this series was affirmed by these two games, precious little of it disproven. On a razor's edge, the series shifts to the corner of Maryland and Delaware, the Pacers with one more ace to play. 'Gainbridge,' Myles Turner said postgame Sunday, 'is gonna be rocking.' For all Indiana could celebrate Thursday what has become its trademark never-say-die character — the soul of this team now seemingly defined by its myriad unlikely comebacks — Sunday delivered a series of stiff reminders. Gilgeous-Alexander (34 points, eight assists) remains one of the league's least stoppable players. The Thunder have depth to burn themselves. And they did not finish with a league-best 68 regular-season wins by accident. That Indiana's slow start Thursday could largely be blamed on the Pacers' own mistakes was a quiet blessing. If you're the one digging your own holes, then you can still climb out of them. Sunday was not that. Sunday was not 20 first-half turnovers and frustratingly sloppy, but fixable, offense. Sunday was Oklahoma City at its dominant, championship best. 'They did a good job being disruptive,' Pascal Siakam said. 'They got out in transition. They made some tough shots. They've got guys that contributed across the board.' Gilgeous-Alexander made a visible effort to involve his teammates more immediately in Game 2, passing up early looks in favor of kickouts and skip passes. The result: He still scored 34, to accompany 38 in Game 1, but this time with help. Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins combined for 38 points off the bench, while Chet Holmgren finished with 15, and Jalen Williams 19. Indiana has found success in these playoffs living with an opponent's best player scoring in bunches, so long as he can't bring his complementary pieces into the game around him. The Pacers got a full dose of Thunder on Sunday. 'They were huge tonight,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of his bench. And, for the second-straight game, Daigneault's defensive gameplan rendered Tyrese Haliburton human. Haliburton's 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Game 1 were comfortably offset by his last-second heroics but, on Sunday, there would be no such sparkle. After draining a first-quarter 3 it looked like he might find him his rhythm, Haliburton went nearly two full frames without making a shot of any kind. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle deflected Haliburton-specific questions postgame, spreading responsibility among his entire team. Carlisle called the Pacers 'an ecosystem that has to function together,' and declared 'everybody's got to do more.' But Indiana will not be long for this series if its centerpiece star is so absent from the box score for such long stretches as Haliburton was Sunday. And Haliburton knows that. 'I've had two really poor first halves (this series),' said Haliburton, who found that offense in the fourth quarter and finished with a team-high 17 points. 'I've got to do a better job figuring out where I can be better.' This is the path Oklahoma City can open no previous opponent could. A way to win distinct to the Thunder on the Pacers' playoff journey. No one Indiana saw in the East can dictate with lineups, matchups, depth and size the flow of a game defensively the way Oklahoma City can. Collective versatility allows the Thunder to flash enough different kinds of defenses at Haliburton to keep him off balance. Daigneault's subtle shift back to more big lineups locked Indiana out of the paint Sunday. At their best, they are the best team in the NBA because they are the best defense in the NBA. The Pacers felt that to the tune of just 45 points and 20 turnovers in the first half of Game 1, before their prodigious 3-point shooting threat saved them in the second. There was no such rescue Sunday. Whether at the Paycom Center or Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indiana won't win this series without unpacking at least some of what Oklahoma City wants to make happen at the defensive end of the floor. 'Our offense is built from the inside out. We've got to do a better job getting downhill,' Haliburton said. 'It's a great defense. We can do a lot better job and watch the film, see where we can get better going into Game 3.' All of which should be said against the context of the Pacers' Game 1 win. Ultimately, the baseline job of any road team in the first weekend of a seven-game series is to grab at least one win. Take back homecourt advantage. Reset control of the series, at least for a time. Siakam acknowledged the Game 1 win didn't provide much 'consolation' after Game 2, but Game 1 did show us functionally how Indiana can beat this excellent Oklahoma City team. The same 3-point disparity the Pacers could not open up in Game 2 proved the foundation for a comeback in Game 1. Oklahoma City's depth shone so brightly on Sunday night in large part because it was rendered ineffective Thursday. And while the Thunder are still justifiable favorites in this series, Game 1 showed them what Milwaukee, Cleveland and New York already learned at great cost: The only way to know you've beaten these Pacers is to keep hammering until the clock hits zeroes. So, the series shifts. The Paycom Center was deafening for much of these first two games. After a quarter-century wait for another Finals appearance, the Pacers fly home firm in their belief theirs will be an equally intimidating atmosphere. 'Give credit where credit's due: This is a great playoff environment,' Turner said of Oklahoma City. 'I expect it to be a lot louder in Indianapolis. I know how long the city's been waiting for this Finals experience. They're gonna show up.' These first two games affirmed so much of what we believed about these teams' title credentials, and their respective paths to that end goal. Now, Indiana introduces a weapon that if not secret is certainly at very least dangerous. Game 3, Wednesday night. Indianapolis is waiting.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lexie Hull Reveals Thrilling Experience With Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham Amid Season
Lexie Hull Reveals Thrilling Experience With Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham Amid Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The basketball world is still buzzing over Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals that gave the Indiana Pacers a stunning win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Advertisement The Thunder have been heavily favored to win the championship, yet they blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead, which set the scene for Haliburton to be the hero in the end. Lexie Hull of the WNBA's Indiana Fever was asked what she was doing when he hit that clutch shot. "I was sitting on my couch on Facetime with Sophie [Cunningham] and Caitlin [Clark] and we were just going crazy," she said. "It was like the coolest thing. It was a fun experience." Haliburton has established himself as a bonafide star during this seson's playoffs. He hit a game-winning shot in Game 2 of the second round when the Pacers took a 2-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won 64 games during the regular season. Advertisement He then sent Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks into overtime with a buzzer-beater that was nearly a 3-pointer, allowing the Pacers to go up 2-0 in that series. Oklahoma City did battle back to take Game 2 of the championship series, 123-107, but with the series shifting to Indianapolis for the next two games, there is a feeling that it could go the limit. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Terada-Imagn Images The Fever, meanwhile, are looking to tread water with Clark out due to a strained quad and Cunningham dealing with an ankle injury. They snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday with a 79-52 victory over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. They hold a 4-4 record, which is at least keeping them in the realm of playoff contention until they return to full strength. Advertisement Clark could reportedly return as early as Tuesday when the Fever face Brittney Griner and the Atlanta Dream. Related: Cameras Catch Caitlin Clark's Reaction to Angel Reese's Mistake on Saturday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
