Joel Embiid is wearing a black mask with clear goggles in his first game back from injury, which is also the first-ever playoff game of his career. The mask is the first of it’s kind. It’s a work of art, and it makes him look like a superhero (or villain, depending on which team you’re pulling for). But it’s more than about looks with the Embiid’s mask, one that is different from any we’ve seen in NBA mask history.
Let’s start at the top.
Why is Embiid wearing a mask in the first place?
Joel Embiid ran into Markelle Fultz’s shoulder during a March 28 matchup between the 76ers and the Knicks.
Embiid takes a shoulder to the head from Fultz. Wobbly as he heads to locker room pic.twitter.com/9gEDJwXgOv
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) March 28, 2018
He was later diagnosed with a concussion and an orbital fracture under his left eye. In layman’s terms, he broke his face on Fultz’s shoulder. Embiid underwent surgery on his fracture and sat out the final eight games of the regular season and the first two games of Philly’s first-round series against Miami.
He returned with this mask on Thursday
Embiid was frustrated by not being on the court to play with his teammates and was cleared to return an hour before tip-off. 76ers head coach Brett Brown tried to keep the mask a secret, but it’s equally as protective as it is fashionable.
See, Embiid’s orbital fracture wasn’t the first major injury to his face. He also suffered an eye injury in a January 2014 game back when he was a freshman at Kansas. Embiid was forced to wear goggles after that incident. Brown said to his knowledge, there is no connection between his old injury and the more recent one.
The 76ers wanted to take extra care with Embiid’s injury. After all, he’s one of the best players at his position and one of the two pillars, along with Ben Simmons, that have dragged Philadelphia basketball from a perennial lottery team to potential championship contenders.
So this mask is extra protective. It’s carbon AND polycarbonate, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, with goggles built into them. As she reports, it has been a “super hi-tech project” involving Embiid’s camp, the 76ers and independent NBA doctors.
Turner Sports’ Rebecca Haarlow also provided some insight on Embiid’s mask ahead of tip-off, noting that carbon is stronger than traditional plastic masks and how long it took to get that mask fitted perfectly for Embiid’s face.
@RebeccaHaarlow gives us a glimpse at the mask Embiid will be wearing tonight for Game 3. Tune in now on #TNT! pic.twitter.com/unhjkBxqdT
— TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) April 19, 2018
“There are just two of [these masks]. It took them 20 iterations to get to this one,” she noted. “A couple of things: This is incredibly light. Now you see it’s a little big darker in color, that’s a carbon, which makes it even stronger than plastic. And then interestingly enough, there’s a cover over the eyes. That’s to protect the orbital bone. So the Sixers are confident that there’s no way he can go out there and re-injure the eye. But you’ve got to wonder how comfortable it will be to play with this all night long.”
How does Embiid’s mask differ from ones we’ve seen?
Well here’s Joel Embiid in his new mask:
And here are a few other players we’ve seen wear masks over the years:
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Kyrie Irving
Russell Westbrook
Can’t forget about Rip Hamilton:
Face masks are a real thing. There’s a whole tradition of NBA players rocking black masks in games, too. They all look pretty cool. Embiid’s just looks like he’s a superhero.
The mask hasn’t hindered Embiid’s play much at all in Game 3. He was a defensive force in the paint early in the first quarter, and the Heat are up nearly double digits toward the end of the period.
But one thing’s for sure: The 76ers are keeping their star center safe in his first playoff game. The looks are just an added touch.