NBA Officially Banning 'Ninja Style' Headband Wraps
By Wil Leitner
September 9, 2019
NBA Spokesperson Mike Bass: “The headwear 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. NBA notified teams in May that the headwear would not be a part of this seasons’ uniform.”
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that the NBA has banned ‘ninja style’ headband ties for the upcoming season, citing the lack of regulation and oversight from the original unfurling last season.
NBA stars the likes of Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday, De’Aaron Fox, and Montrezl Harrell were some of the notable players to wear the head ties, with even LeBron James and Russell Westbrook rumored to plan wearing the popular ties this season.
The ‘ninja-style’ headbands rise to prominence was after Nike became the official apparel provider for the NBA at the beginning of the 2017-2018 season. At the start of the 2018-2019 season, the league was allowing its players to wear the ‘NikeCourt Dri-Fit 2.0’ made popular by professional tennis players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
the NBA’s All Ninja Headband Team just cuz:
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) September 9, 2019
G: De’Aaron Fox
G: Jrue Holiday
F: Jimmy Butler
F: LeBron James*
C: Montrezl Harrell pic.twitter.com/M8DdSk3Odb
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 ..."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2019
Bass: "When some players began wearing them last season, we didn't want to cause a disruption by intervening midseason..." NBA notified teams in May that the headwear "would not be a part of this seasons uniforms." https://t.co/23IjTaoT8v
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2019
Competition Committee is discussing issue in meetings today. As Bass said, teams raised concern about size, length "how they are tied which requires a thorough review before consideration of any rule change." Among players who wore them: Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday, Jarrett Allen. https://t.co/Agak7SLS9V
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 9, 2019
Good morning. Russell Westbrook is a Houston Rocket 😊 pic.twitter.com/CvMr3O2Nss
— OffSzn LebronJamesHarden™ (@LBJamesHarden) September 6, 2019
Damn the NBA really trying to hold Lebron back...they see him putting in work with the head tie and then they ban them... https://t.co/Q1ndxGhQkN
— Dobbs (@Dobbs024) September 9, 2019