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NBABy Jesse Kramer on

Known for his wild, covered-in-hair appearance, Thunder center Steven Adams has become a fan favorite in Oklahoma City, partially because of his mustache. But even the most die-hard fans may not recognize him now.

Adams’ (now former) Stache Bro, Thunder center Enes Kanter, tweeted that Adams shaved his facial hair, going with a clean look for the first time in years. Here’s the photo evidence:

Adams offered up an apology in response:

Adams went with a clean look through his freshman season at Pittsburgh and rookie year in Oklahoma City. By the 2014-15 season, his second in the NBA, he was already sporting a mustache.

Steven Adams

Then Adams let the hair on top of his head grow as well, developing a full-on Neanderthal look, and he started throwing down monster dunks on LeBron James.

Steven Adams

Adams’ hair had a steady evolution throughout his career and hadn’t changed much in two years. So naturally, fans freaked out on Twitter when Kanter gave away Adams’ newest look.

https://twitter.com/iamHectorDiaz/status/895424219726585856

https://twitter.com/glazednconsumed/status/895390705505284096

Adams already has a strong shadow on his upper lip, so don’t fear. If he wants to, that mustache could probably reappear within a few days. Or hours.

Meanwhile, Ricky Rubio, who was recently traded to the Jazz, is letting his hair grow wild.

https://twitter.com/NifMuhammad/status/895511460243152896

[FTW]

About Jesse Kramer

Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.

View all posts by Jesse Kramer