Why did the NBA ban ninja headbands?
Players wearing headgear is not that common in the NBA, but the trend has certainly been tried out by a few players in league history. Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday and Montrezl Harrell rocked the Nike 'Ninja Headband' for a short while a few seasons ago, but the accessory was quickly banned by the NBA shortly after.
In this article, we take a look at why the Ninja headband was banned by the league.
Why did the NBA ban the ninja headbands?
The NBA banned the Nike Ninja headbands before the commencement of the 2019-20 campaign because there were a few inconsistencies regarding the size of the headgear.
It raised safety concerns and hence the NBA had to notify the players to discontinue wearing them. The league also deemed these headbands 'unprofessional'.
League spokesman Mike Bass rolled out a statement on why the league banned the Ninja headbands:
“The ninja-style headwear is not part of the NBA uniform and hasn’t been through the league approval process. Teams have raised concerns regarding safety and consistency of size, length, and how they are tied which requires a thorough review before consideration of any rule change.”
“When some players began wearing them last season, we didn’t want to cause a disruption by intervening midseason, but we notified our teams in May that they would not be part of this season’s uniforms,” he added.
Hence, players like Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday, and Montrezl Harrell had to discontinue wearing it, and the trend came and went quickly. The reason for Holiday wearing it was because of his long hair. Harrell opted for them because of his dreadlocks, while Jimmy Butler rocked them purely for fashion purposes.
De'Aaron Fox, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jarrett Allen have also sported ninja headbands in NBA games.
The NBA notified teams that it won't allow players to wear "ninja-style headwear" this season, NBA spokesman Mike Bass tells ESPN. The headwear "...hasn't been through the league approval process. Teams have raised concerns regarding safety and consistency of size, length ..."
The ninja headbands are usually worn in Tennis, and it can be said that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal made them popular. The headbands became popular in the NBA after Nike became the official apparel provider for the league ahead of the 2017-2018 season.
According to @mikescott, @Nike and @NBA have banned the ninja-style tied headbands that became so popular last year. According to Scott, Nike said they appeared “unprofessional”. 🏀 Bad move IMO, as players and fans loved this new style #NBA https://t.co/PCJic2n446
It is not clear as to if the ninja headbands will make a comeback, although there is a good possibility that we might not see another NBA player don one during the game. Montrezl Harrell and Mike Scott condemned the league's decision to do so, but for now, the players will have to be content without wearing them.