Why Does Los Angeles Lakers Star Rui Hachimura Wear a Mask?

There are many practices, strategies, and preferences that professional athletes utilize to aid them in their quest for greatness, but there are also things that leave fans wondering the meaning behind it all, such as why NBA star Rui Hachimura wears a mask on the court.

Rui officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers in January 2023 after he was traded from the Washington Wizards, where he played four seasons and began his professional basketball career.

In Game 2 of the Western Conference NBA Playoffs Rui got hit in the face, as a result, the Lakers announced that beginning with Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rui would wear a face mask as a precautionary measure, according to Sports Illustrated.

Per the outlet, head coach J.J. Redick told the media that he was “fine” with Rui wearing the mask as a safety measure — but stopped short of saying when he expected the power forward to resume playing without it.

Halfway through Game 2, Naz Reid elbowed Rui in the nose as the two were fighting for position under the rim, according to Essentially Sports. The blow to the face sent Rui crashing to the floor and he disappeared from the game for close to 10 minutes but later returned.

As the NBA Playoffs are a critical moment for the Lakers, fans were relieved when it was confirmed that Rui would not miss any games, and would instead use the mask to prevent injury while still showing up for the team, per the outlet.

“He played like a warrior tonight. I’m sure that he will probably be in the X-ray room right now. But he did a lot of really good things,” Coach Redick said of Rui’s injury, per Lakers Nation.

“I think when we watched the tape, there was a few plays that he made, just getting deflections and disrupting plays, leading to late shot clock possessions for them. Some plays at the rim that don’t show up in the boxscore. He was awesome tonight,” he added.

Rui is not the first NBA star to don a mask while on the court, as Jaylen Brown and Luka Dončić have done so as well. The main reason why some of the league’s stars opt for masks is to protect themselves from facial injury.

However, the masks are dependent on the type of injury and the specific area that needs protecting. Additionally, the use of face masks allow players with less serious injuries to continue playing without the risk of further damage to their face.

Such injuries include, an elbow to the face or being hit by a basketball. Per National Institutes of Health, an estimated one in eight NBA players suffer an injury each season. More serious facial injuries include, broken noses, fractured cheekbones or jaws, and facial lacerations. Eye injuries can also require a player to wear a mask, depending on its severity.