The league’s ban on black mask was precipitated by a superstar—LeBron James.
He had to wear a mask in his game against the Knicks to protect himself.
To preserve the viewing enjoyment of the spectators, the NBA also prohibited James from wearing a black mask throughout the game.
Masks have been used in sports since the early 1900s.
A baseball player might wear a mask to protect his face when he hits home runs.
A boxer might wear a mask against high impact of punches.
Until 2007, basketball players didn’t wear masks because they thought it took away from the “grace and beauty” of the game.
That all changed when LeBron James entered the league.
Mask For Protection
From that point on, every other player wanted to be like Lebron and use a mask to protect themselves.
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Some players wear them all the time, others only use them during big games or when they’re hurt.
But always within sight of the fans, some guy in a mask is always able to put up some crazy stats.
It’s amazing how many things people will pay money to see.
As well-known as Lebron is now, at first he wasn’t even that good.
When he first came into the league, everyone hated him.
Many NBA stars have used black masks during games, however the NBA eventually decided to prohibit players from wearing black masks, forcing many NBA players to wear transparent masks.
In fact, several players have been fined for wearing masks during play.
The first player penalised for doing so was Mookie Blaylock of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1998.
He was called for a flagrant foul 2 for throwing down his mask after making a shot.
Since then, all players (with one exception) have been banned from wearing masks during play.