Wilt Chamberlain had oversized facial protectors throughout the 1960’s. Richard Hamilton played in a face mask for most of his career.
Players may wear a mask for protection of a face or nose injury that hasn’t yet healed. The mask allows players to continue playing despite the injury.
Stray elbows cause the most common injuries requiring players to wear a mask because of a broken nose, cheekbone, facial or orbital bones.
Hamilton broke his nose twice early in the 2003-04 season after already breaking it in 2002. He’d end up wearing it for the rest of his career to avoid major nasal reconstructive surgery.
Despite wearing the mask for nine-seasons and becoming his trademark, it’s not something that he enjoyed wearing.
“When you’re a kid and you go trick-or-treating and you gotta wear the plastic mask on your face, you only put it on when you’re at the front door of the home. You’re not wearing it as you’re running up and down the neighborhood”, Hamilton said.
What Are Masks Made Out Of?
Most masks are made from clear shatterproof polycarbonate.
Others have also been made from lightweight carbon-fibre which have since been no longer approved by the league. You can find out more on that below.
Banning the Black ‘Superhero’ Mask
In 2012 after suffering a broken nose, Kobe masked himself into something of a superhero. He would switch away from the clear mask as it kept fogging up.
He’d wear the mask for two-quarters before switching back to the clear mask because of discomfort.
Later that year, Kyrie Irving would evolve himself into superhero status, wearing a black mask to protect a broken jaw.
Lebron James also brought a jet black carbon-fibre mask into play to protect a broken nose, opting for the lighter material.
The NBA ultimately forced the black ‘superhero’ mask into oblivion. Without particular reason, it’s not a league-approved mask and therefore we’re stuck with the boring clear masks for now.
Which Players Have Worn Masks?
LeBron James
The Heat-Knicks game in the 2013/14 NBA Season will be remembered for LeBron James’ superhero heroics.
Breaking his nose a week earlier against the Thunder, he wore the mask to protect it after missing the previous game against the Bulls.
The Knicks would lose 108-82 with James scoring 31, grabbing four rebounds and four assists no doubt thanks to his new superhero mask.
The black mask looked absolutely mint with the throwback Heat jerseys. Ultimately it would be the last game in which the black mask would make an appearance.
Kobe Bryant
The black mask owes it’s origins to the original superhero, Kobe Bryant.
In 2012, Kobe’s nose was broken by Dwyane Wade in the All-Star game and after wearing a clear mask for a few games, he switched it up to something the league had never seen before.
During the game he’d swap it back to the clear mask, due to discomfort after shooing 1-of-6 from the field.
It would cost the Lakers as they went on to lose 88-85 in overtime against the Pistons.
Kyrie Irving
Before LeBron James’ black mask heroics against the Knicks, New York again played villain.
Kyrie Irving broke out the black mask later in 2012 against the Knicks following Kobe’s masking earlier on in the year.
The Knicks would end up beating Irving’s Cavs 103-102 however, but not before Irving went crazy.
Irving would finish with what was a career-high 41 points, shooting 15-of-25 from the field.
Joel Embiid
Although not the return of the black mask so to speak, Joel Embiid would wear a high-tech mask following an orbital facture during the 2017-18 NBA season.
The sophisticated dynamic mask was made of both carbon and polycarbonate and was made complete with a set of goggles.
Embiid missed close to a month of basketball due to a broken left eye socket before returning for the NBA 2018 playoffs. He’d go on to beat the Miami Heat in his return scoring 23 points along with seven rebounds and four assists.