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Kendrick Perkins was a little baffled with LeBron James' pregame outfit on Saturday's matchup between the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets. James and the Lakers are in Denver to start their first-round matchup with the defending champions.
In ESPN's pregame coverage, Perkins asked the crew of "Countdown" why "King James" is wearing a durag. It was a popular accessory in the 1990s, but it was banned in 2000 when it was worn on the court for the very first time.
Players can still wear them during pregame activities and even during postgame interviews, though.
"Why is he wearing a durag?" Perkins asked.
"Because he means business, Perk," Malika Andrews replied.
LeBron James has not worn a durag during a game, but he has rocked the accessory a lot of times in pregame, postgame and even on workouts. A durag has always been associated with African-American culture, but one of the reasons why players wear them is to preserve their hairstyles.
Why is LeBron James wearing a durag?
LeBron James doesn't wear a durag regularly anymore ,so it's kind of a big deal when he dons them during warmups. But why does one of the greatest players in NBA history wear it?
According to former NBA player and current analyst Jalen Rose, James wears a durag to protect his unit. For those who don't know, a unit is also called a man weave, and it recently went viral on social media when fans accused Devin Booker and Tyrese Haliburton of wearing one.
Rose pointed out the time Anthony Davis noticed that James' unit moved when he was wearing a headband during a game. He explained that the durag keeps the unit in place.
It's not a secret that James has a receding hairline, and many fans and players like Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have urged him to "come home." It means they want him to stop resisting and shave his head completely bald.
Why did the NBA ban players from wearing durags in a game?
According to Silky Durag, the NBA banned durags during games after Sam Perkins became the first player to wear it in a game. Perkins wore a durag in a game for the Indiana Pacers, but David Stern and the league immediately banned the accessory due to safety concerns.
It's unclear what safety concerns were pointed out by the NBA during their ruling, but that didn't stop players from wearing it outside the court. Allen Iverson brought it back because it protected his iconic cornrows. It went viral again recently when Chet Holmgren rocked it and eventually became a meme.
