When you think about the famous NBA players who have walked this Earth, you tend to think of those who stand out due to their athletic ability. Names like Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, and of course, Michael Jordan are those that usually come to mind at first.
But what if you are looking for NBA players without worrying much about their athletic ability? What if you want to know about those players who share some similar interests to you, such as those who wore sports goggles?
Sports goggles used to have a bad rap. After all, they were not attractive or comfortable. Today, though, the stigma is fading. If you’re an athlete who suffers from imperfect vision, then you may be curious about investing in a pair of sports goggles with nose protector or other safety feature. Whether you’ve worn them or are about to wear them, the following is a list of five NBA players who also wore sports goggles.
1. Horace Grant
When you picture sports goggles on NBA athletes, then Horace Grant likely tops this list. He wore them during every game, and the attention on his goggles was high as he played for the Chicago Bulls during their 1991-1993 reigns. Not only did he rock the bulky goggles that you may have come to hate, but he also used to change out the colours on the rims to match the team he was playing for. Look up any picture of Grant during his basketball career, and you won’t be able to miss the sports goggles.
2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Kareem Abdul Jabbar has been topping NBA lists since his debut, but most of them have to do with his skill level as a professional athlete. This time, though, he’s making the list because of his goggles. In college, Abdul Jabbar had his cornea scratched during an NCAA game. Since then, he wore sports goggles to protect his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to endure the pain he did as a college athlete.
3. Tony Parker
Most people don’t think of Tony Parker with sports goggles, but he had them—at least for a little bit. In 2012, Parker was involved in an incident with Chris Brown and Drake. As a result, he scratched his retina. About a month later, Parker wanted to represent France in the Olympics, but due to his recent injury, he needed to wear protective eye goggles. So instead of the traditional goggles that most athletes are used to seeing, Parker opted for a more stylish and modern option.
4. James Worthy
James Worthy started his basketball career without sports goggles, but an injury to the eye during his third season forced him to wear goggles. At that point, there was no turning back for Worthy, who went on to sport his sports goggles for the remainder of his career, even when doctors advised him he no longer needed them.
5. Amar’e Stoudemire
Stoudemire has had his fair share of eye injuries. In the 2008 preseason, he had a partially torn iris. In 2009, he suffered from a detached retina. He decided to undergo surgery to fix all his eye issues, and when he came back, he decided to wear goggles to help protect himself from suffering another eye-related injury. Like other modern-day NBA players, Amar’e Stoudemire opted to wear a more attractive pair of sports goggles than his predecessors.
So if you’re contemplating the idea of getting sports goggles for your own basketball endeavours, remember that famous NBA stars have been rocking them for years, so you have nothing to worry about.