It's tough playing in the NBA these days.
The games are faster than ever, leading to more season-ending injuries and overall burnout.
The new salary cap rules make it more difficult for teams to build competitive rosters and maintain consistency season to season.
And now, maybe most harmful and disappointing of all, fashion statements on the court are getting outright banned.
Orlando Magic player Jalen Suggs has been reprimanded by the league for wearing his athletic headband around his neck in games. He has been asked to wear it across his forehead, as thousands of players do in professional basketball leagues worldwide.
When asked why he wore it around his neck, he had no clear answer beyond wanting it to look cool and to resemble some football players’ style.
"Really, it originates as football drip, that's where it stems from," he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel in a recent interview. "But I don't know, there really isn't much else to it. I wear it on my neck, and once I get into the game - into the flow - I put it on my head, and we rock."
Suggs, who is averaging 15 points and 4.7 assists this season on a Magic team aiming for a deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference, will hope that this change doesn't affect his or his team's season.
He will keep wearing the headband across his forehead, as requested by the NBA, but we will always remember the good times we had with him, trying to bring a new wardrobe style to NBA courts across North America.
Newsweek