LeBron James Gets Rid Of Black ‘Batman’ Mask, Switches To Clear
After breaking his nose against Oklahoma City a week prior, LeBron James sported a black mask on Thursday night against the New York Knicks. But for Saturday’s game against the Orlando Magic, James’ wore one that was clear, according to a report from Fox Sports.
James didn’t violate any rules during the Knicks game by wearing the black mask, he said. The change came due to a request from the NBA.
“I didn’t agree with their reasons, but I’ll do it,” James added during an interview before the Magic game.
LeBron James said he didn’t seek approval from the league prior to the Knicks game to wear the mask. He also didn’t think there was such a rule that said a mask had to be a certain color. But Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said that Nick Arison, son of team owner Micky, was contacted by the NBA, who told him that LeBron had to change it up.
“As long as my opponents can see my face,” James said. “For reasons they told me, it didn’t make sense to me. But hey, I’m just a player… and I will abide.”
However, before LeBron was told to switch the mask, teammate Chris Bosh nicknamed him “Batman.” James had posted a photo collage of him wearing the mask on Instagram, and the team even sold some T-shirts.
“I got stuff saying I looked menacing, I looked like a superhero, that it was amazing,” James said. “Nobody said it looked terrible.”
And it was all fun while it lasted, but LeBron said it’s time to move forward.
“I’m not against the NBA. They had a request and I fulfilled it,” LeBron James said. “Let’s just leave it at that.”
Against the Knicks, LeBron scored 31 points during the Heat’s 108-82 victory, according to The Washington Post. When he wore his clear mask during the Magic game, he scored 20 points. In addition, James also had nine rebounds and seven assists during the Heat’s 112-98 win.
James has two championship rings with the Heat, and if they keep up with the way they play, they could be going for a third. The Times-Picayune, out of New Orleans, has them listed as the number one team in the NBA.
If the team does go all the way, they will be champions in two different sports in the same season. A recent article from The Inquisitr said the team also received WWE Championship belts, after LeBron tweeted that it would be cool to receive one on his birthday. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took up LeBron’s wish, and each player on the Heat received his own personalized WWE belt.
