NBA Spokesperson Mike Bass: “The headwear hasn’t been through the league approval process… 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. NBA notified teams in May that the headwear would not be a part of this seasons’ uniform.”
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that the NBA has banned ‘ninja style’ headband ties for the upcoming season, citing the lack of regulation and oversight from the original unfurling last season.
NBA stars the likes of Jimmy Butler, Jrue Holiday, De’Aaron Fox, and Montrezl Harrell were some of the notable players to wear the head ties, with even LeBron James and Russell Westbrook rumored to plan wearing the popular ties this season.
The ‘ninja-style’ headbands rise to prominence was after Nike became the official apparel provider for the NBA at the beginning of the 2017-2018 season. At the start of the 2018-2019 season, the league was allowing its players to wear the ‘NikeCourt Dri-Fit 2.0’ made popular by professional tennis players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.