The story behind Cassius Winston’s green cartoon-bear ‘MONEY’ backpack

Cassius Winston prepared for Michigan State’s flight to Washington D.C. for its Sweet 16 matchup the same way he did for any other road trip. The Spartans’ point guard threw on his dark green Nike Spartans sweatsuit, laced up his shoes, tossed his brick red backpack with a swagged-out lime-green Care Bear-like creature printed on the front over his shoulder, and went on his way.

This, of course, is a bag only Winston could wear. It feels like it was made for him.

The artsy backpack sports the word “money” in graffiti-like font on the top, with a heart replacing the ‘o.’ Underneath is a cartoon bear wearing a money-green hat, a gold watch, fancy rings, and a million-dollar chain, leaping through the air with the word “rich” tattooed on its fist.

Winston’s mom, a Delta employee who’s able to travel frequently, brought bags home for her three sons after a trip to China. She knew this one would be perfect for Cassius for two reasons.

The more obvious one is in his nickname, “Cash money”. Cash money is slang that means everything is good, and Cash is a shortened name for Cassius. The other takes getting to know him.

Winston, a junior, is the Spartans’ leading scorer at 19 points per game. He also has one of college basketball’s most brilliant pair of eyes, seeing the floor like few others. Winston ranks second in the nation in assist rate — which measures an estimate of the amount of assists a player contributes while he’s on the floor. He dishes 7.5 assists per game, and had double-digit nights on eight occasions.

Maybe the 21-year-old’s skill weaving through defenders to find a teammate or finish himself is because of the countless hours film-watching, decade-plus of game experience and daily practice. Or, maybe even just subconsciously, he’s picked up some moves from ensconcing himself in his dorm staring at Roadrunner’s escapes from Wile E. Coyote.

“He does watch cartoons all the time,” Michigan State center Nick Ward said at a press conference before the team’s game vs. LSU. “I live with him. I hear all the little gunshots, the little Looney Tunes stuff.”

Though Ward is most inadvertently subjected to the many pangs, whistles, explosions, and zooms a Looney Tunes show brings, he isn’t the only one on the Spartans’ roster who has picked up on Winston’s quirk.

“Whenever I walk into the Brez [Michigan State’s Arena] in the morning, he always has cartoons on,” Michigan State guard Matt McQuaid said. [The backpack] just fits him well.”

Two days before one of the biggest games of his entire life, Winston quote-tweeted a video of his team getting ready to board the plane to brag about one of his most prized possessions. “That book bag tho,” the tweet reads, with a smiling heart emoji, in reference to the bag getting quality airtime.

The old sports cliche says players should wear their heart on their sleeve, but Winston is just fine lugging around the synthetic leather straps that make him the person he is on his back. After all, it’s where he’ll put the Spartans when they need him.