Starting next season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will no longer allow players to wear “ninja-style” headbands.
The headgear is a band of fabric tied at the back of the head with the two ends flowing loose.
Philadelphia 76ers teammates Jimmy Butler and Mike Scott sported the headgear last season.
“The ninja-style headwear is not part of the NBA uniform and hasn’t been through the league’s approval process,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN in a statement.
“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.”
Banning the use of the headgear didn’t sit well with some players.
“I love that someone at the NBA had to type the words ‘ninja-style (headwear)’ and ‘consistency of size and length’ as their job today,” wrote the Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin.
