The NBA’s Top 5 Players Who Wear Headbands
Headband Anyone? Slick Watts anyone? Maybe Wilt Chamberlain rings a bell. Watts was a 6-foot-1-inch guard who led the NBA in assists and steals during the 1975-76 season. Chamberlain is, of course, a Hall of Famer who was one of the most dominant players to ever play the game. Many of his scoring and rebounding records still stand to this day. What did Chamberlain and Watts have in common? They both wore headbands. Whether the headband had anything to do with their success, we do not know but there are plenty of current NBA players who have copied Watts and the Big Dipper. Here’s a look at the top 5 players in the NBA today who wear headbands.
Zach Randolph, PF Memphis
Randolph was the 19th player selected in the 2001 NBA Draft going to the Portland Trail Blazers. He bounced around with the Knicks and the Clippers before settling in Memphis where he has rocked the headband for the past seven seasons. Randolph has averaged 17.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for his career and that includes a rookie season where he didn’t start a game and his second season where he played just under 17 minutes a game.
DeMarcus Cousins, C Sacramento
Cousins enjoyed his best season in 2015-16 when he averaged 26.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He has played his entire NBA career in Sacramento thus far and sports the headband to keep the sweat from trickling down to his full beard. This summer, Cousins was part of Team USA and its gold medal performance at the Summer Olympics.
Paul Pierce, F L.A. Clippers
An 18-year NBA veteran and 10-time All-Star, Pierce will be a lock for the Hall of Fame after his retirement. Even at 38 years of age, he still has value. He has averaged 20 points a game throughout his career and has played it while sporting team color headbands for Boston (where he played 15 years), Brooklyn, Washington, and Los Angeles.
Carmelo Anthony, F New York
Anthony’s 14-year NBA career has brought him an NBA scoring title and nine All-Star Game appearances but never an NBA title. He traded the baby blue headband of Denver for the orange of the Knicks when he was traded during the 2010-11 season. Anthony is one of the game’s most prolific scorers averaging 24.9 points per game over his career.
LeBron James, G Cleveland
If James can squeeze out another NBA title or two, he will go down as the NBA’s greatest player ever (if he hasn’t been dubbed already). James led Cleveland to its first NBA championship last season averaging 27.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game during the regular season. Just 31 years old, James has 13 NBA seasons under his belt and is currently 11th on the all-time NBA scoring list. If he continues to play into his late 30s, James and his maroon headband will have a shot at breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record.
