NBA players, and athletes in general, tend to be at the forefront of new fashion trends, and that remains the case with Orlando Magic point guard Jalen Suggs.
Recently, Suggs has been wearing a headband around his neck, similar to a choker necklace, in Magic games. The 24-year-old said he didn’t have a direct reason for wearing the headband in the unique form, but attributed it to what he called ‘football drip’.
“It’s funny. I don’t even know if there’s an explanation for it,” Suggs said, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “Really, it originates as football drip—that’s where it stems from. But I don’t know, there really isn’t much else to it.”
But now, the NBA is clamping down on Suggs’ headband use, reportedly banning him from wearing it around his neck, forcing the guard to start games using it around his head, according to Yahoo Sports.
“The NBA ruled that Magic guard Jalen Suggs must wear his headband on his head, not as a choker, to begin games,” Yahoo Sports wrote in a post on X.
NBA Bans Jalen Suggs From Using Headband As Choker
While Suggs didn’t have an exact reason for wearing his headband around his neck, the league will now not allow the move going forward.
Suggs, averaging 15 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 47.1% shooting in 23 games this year, has been playing well for the injured Magic team, but he’ll now have to change his distinctive style that caught the league’s attention.
This is by no means the first time the NBA has clamped down on the accessories worn by players. Over the past decade, the league has banned players from wearing certain styles or branded accessories, which, for players, have been decisions that have seen some scrutiny.
Perhaps most notable is the ‘Supreme‘ branded legsleeve worn by Kelly Oubre and J.R. Smith in 2018. After the league announced players were not allowed to wear it, Smith tattooed the logo on his leg, a move that caught the ire of the league office once again.
Smith said the NBA told him to cover up the tattoo, or else he would be fined in every game.
“NBA rules prohibit players from displaying any commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair,” spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN back in 2018.
Branded tattoos are nothing new in the NBA, but the league took umbrage with the ‘Supreme‘ logo that took over the game for a short time a few years ago.
Additionally, the NBA also banned the ‘ninja-style‘ headband worn by Jimmy Butler and others, as well as Band-Aids, durags, black goggles and masks, and much more.
Suggs On The Wrong End Of Dunk Of The Year Candidate
At the same time that Suggs got attention from the league for his unique style choices, the Orlando point guard was on the wrong end of an eye-popping dunk in their latest loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Second-year forward Matas Buzelis got the ball on the fast-break, and after a few dribbles, elevated over Suggs for the finish in what many have called one of the early dunk of the year candidates.
While he hasn’t made the same strides in the league, Buzelis’s dunk was comparable to those seen by Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant over the past few years.
The loss for the Magic was their sixth in the last ten games. Along with Suggs missing time with numerous injuries, Orlando has seen missed time from star players Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. After the major offseason addition of Desmond Bane and the high expectations held before the season, the Magic have floated a few games over .500 for most of the year.
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