Anthony Davis' unibrow is hair to stay
I’ll admit it.
At some point in my formation, a few hair follicles found their way to no man’s land and, if left unchecked, are ready to wreak havoc.
My face is unibrow-able.
I keep the evidence hidden. When I look in the mirror and see the early stages of construction on a bridge between my eyebrows, I demolish it without mercy.
Because the unibrow is unacceptable. In parts of the world it’s considered attractive (some women even draw them on), but not here.
So as Anthony Davis and his unibrow rose to prominence in his brief, trophy-filled career at Kentucky, I couldn’t understand how he had gotten to that point.
No one sat him down as a kid and broke out the tweezers? Kentucky wouldn’t step in and deforest the face of the university?
Davis persisted, his unibrow became a national phenomenon, and on Thursday, it will be front and center at the NBA draft when the Hornets take him No. 1.
And the more I think about it, that unibrow — and what it says about his personality — is why he’ll be able to handle the pressure that comes with his lofty draft status.
There are only two reasons I can fathom for a person of Davis’ stature keeping a unibrow.
As his shot-blocking prowess proves, he isn’t blind, so that leaves one: Supreme, unflinching confidence.
During his year with the Wildcats that led to a stack of player of the year awards and a national title, Davis endured a flood of questions and ridicule about his brow. Despite that, he kept it and embraced it.
He loved the brow-themed T-shirts and signs, his mother wore a unibrowed Mardi Gras mask to a game, and he said he cried laughing when Florida fans held up a side-by-side photo of he and Bert from Sesame Street.
To take all that in stride means Davis is very comfortable with himself, and not at all concerned with outside opinions. Those are absolutely crucial characteristics for a 19-year-old who’s probably about to go through growing pains.
This doesn’t mean I’m ready to let my brow run free and grow a forehead moustache too. And I’m still holding out hope Davis will land an endorsement deal with Gillette — I’m picturing a series of ads where a team of black-clad, razor-wielding agents stalk him around town and try to pin him down and shave it off, culminating in a live TV event for charity.
Even if I didn’t think it looked awful, I couldn’t grow one because I don’t have enough self-assurance.
It’s an easy trait to fake, and plenty of people overcompensate by being boisterous. Davis is different, and that’s what stood out to Hornets coach Monty Williams when he visited with his future star last week.
“He seems to have a confidence and edge about him that’s different than this younger generation that wants to pound their chest all the time,” Williams said. “He doesn’t seem to have that, but I can tell there’s something there that pushes him to want to be great.”
He does.
You can see it right there on his face.