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The NBA's latest on-court fashion statement is easy to miss if you aren't looking. As the 2018-19 has progressed, more and more players have taken the lead of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday by wearing a bandana-inspired headband rather than the basic sweatbands that were first re-popularized in the 2000s.
The NikeCourt DriFit 2.0 is a thicker, tie-back headband that evokes martial arts style headwear, with strings dangling in the back. Several teams reportedly contacted the league office before the season asking permission for players to wear it, something Holiday had apparently been doing over the summer for many years. The Pelicans star credits his tennis fandom, specifically that of Rafael Nadal, for originally inspiring the change.
Myles Turner saw Holiday and other NBA players going with the Samurai-type look early this season, and has since adopted it himself. He now rotates through six different iterations of the Nike's new headband, insisting the style promotes child-like joy that leads to superior performance.
Article Continues Below“It’s lighter. I feel like a kid again,” the Indiana Pacers star told Sports Illustrated's Jake Fischer. “It’s just fun and I think it looks better,” Turner says. “I’ve had some of my best games I’ve worn it. Double-doubles every time, so it can’t be that bad.”
Pacers guard Wesley Matthews switched to the updated headband midway through this season, too, looking for the same “spark” it evidently provides Turner.
“I’m bringing a little more fun back to my mentality and my game,” he said. “I was seeing it more. It just reminded me, ‘Ah s—, I can put my headband on.'”
The Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving, Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond, Sacramento Kings' De'Aaron Fox, the Brooklyn Nets' Jarrett Allen, and Los Angeles Clippers' Montrezl Harrell are other notable NBA players who have also donned the NikeCourt DriFit 2.0 this season.
