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Jonathan Kuminga is beginning the new year of 2024 with a new attitude and a fresh cut too after ditching his beloved dreadlocks.
To the surprise of his fans, the Golden State Warriors center showed off his new look in the locker room on Friday as he brushed his hair, with a neat buzz cut replacing his trademark braids.
Having made the decision to trim his locks earlier in the day, Kuminga said about the change: "2024, fresh start. Gotta keep it clean. Working on my waves."
For the 15th game in a row, the Congolese player posted double digits with 11 points and six rebounds in the 113-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
His performance caught the attention of his coach Steve Kerr, who singled out Kuminga for his display as he lifted the lid on his conversation with the 21-year-old, who has become frustrated with his lack of minutes on the court.
"I thought he played well tonight," Kerr said. "And he's a young guy and he wants to play.
"I just told him everybody wants to play and we've got a lot of guys who can play. So every night is going to be a little different. [Tonight] I thought he moved the ball. He guarded both [Cade] Cunningham and [Bojan] Bogdanovich and he played good."
Kuminga fallout with Kerr dismissed
A report from The Athletic had circulated earlier claiming that Kuminga had 'lost faith' in Kerr and didn't feel he could reach his full potential under the Warriors' coach.
But the youngster made a point of issuing a public denial of the story, insisting they had sat down to clear the air between them and to talk about basketball in addition to issues away from the court.
"I think it went really well," Kuminga said. "It was just all about a better understanding of each other and more communication. Just us having that conversation today made me comfortable and made him more comfortable.
"Anytime I got something to ask, anything going on, I should just go up to his office, the door is open. I can just go and chill in there and wait for him to come back whenever.
"That's what it's all about, communication every single time something's going wrong. Communication is the key."