Jaylen Brown Wears a Mask During Games — Medical Reason, Explained
Published April 19 2023, 1:30 p.m. ET
Ever since he was chosen by the Boston Celtics as their third overall pick during the 2016 NBA draft, Jaylen Brown has gone on to become a force to be reckoned with within the organization and the NBA as a whole. Through roles as the team's small forward and shooting guard, he has averaged 23.6 points per game and has already been the recipient of the NBA All-Rookie Team Award in 2017 as well as the NBA Community Assist Award in 2020.
For all of those reasons and more, Jaylen's pedigree within the world of professional basketball can't be understated. However, he has been drawing attention for something other than his skills on the hardwood. People want to know about the mask that he has worn during games. So, why does Jaylen Brown wear a mask when he's playing? Let's unpack the reasoning.
Why does Jaylen Brown wear a mask while playing in NBA games?
On Feb. 8, 2023, Jaylen and the rest of the Celtics faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Boston-based team emerged victorious from that bout, but not without Jaylen suffering an injury.
Indeed, the 26-year-old was in the midst of shooting a three-pointer when fellow athlete Jayson Tatum's right elbow connected with his face. He left the game and discovered that he had a facial fracture.
As a result of the injuries to his face, Jaylen's doctors ordered him to wear a protective mask that covers the entire upper half of his face and forehead while he continues to recover. The mask provides a buffer to protect his still-healing bones and cartilage while he plays and limits the risk of further injury. According to Jaylen, he won't have to wear the mask much longer, but he may for awhile just to be cautious.
"I think it's not fully healed. I think what they said, like, you got like six weeks until the cartilage starts to grow back so you're, I guess, safe if you were to take another hit," the athlete told NBC Sports. "But you still got like another six weeks before I guess it fully gets back to where it is or where it's supposed to be."
Jaylen added, "So I guess technically, I got like a couple more days or I don't have to wear it anymore if I didn't want to. But if you wanna be safe, they say, you keep wearing it. My mom wants me to wear it, so I'll probably keep wearing it."
Even with the mask, Jaylen has remained the most valuable player for the Celtics, helping secure them victories in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.