Picture this: You are sitting in the Chase Center stands at a Golden State Warriors game and Steph Curry’s mouthguard is slowly inching towards your face.
Gross or exciting? It’s hard to say considering Curry is one of the greatest NBA players to have ever stepped foot on the court. Whatever the case, the NBA doesn’t consider things like this sportsmanlike, which is why Curry was ejected from Wednesday night’s 122-120 Warriors win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
After last night’s funny fiasco, a question surfaced: The reason why does Curry, or better yet, any NBA player, put on a mouthguard? Here’s the reason behind the facial safety net:
Why do NBA players wear mouthguards?
It’s sort of such as asking why bikers use helmets or football gamers wear pads. Well, to protect themselves – specifically their teeth when it comes to mouthguards – when around the court.
Basketball is a contact sport of high intensity and extreme physicality, and protective gear like facemasks plus mouthguards are usually a buffer often used to avoid serious injury. Mouthguards protect the teeth and jawbone by acting as the crash helmet for intentional or accidental injuries that could occur during a game.
Are mouthguards required to be worn during NBA games?
When it comes to league policy, there is currently no mandate that requires NBA players to wear mouthguards during games. It is based on preference.
When did players start wearing mouthguards?
Mouthguards were first introduced to the sports scene within 1890 when Woolf Krause , a dentist from London, created the “gum shield. ” The invention was intended for boxers, but as more sports popularized and evolved, the use of mouthguards grew. Soon football and basketball gamers began to wear mouthguards.
In the 1950s, the American Dental Association (ADA) began to research the benefits of putting on mouth protection during contact sports, uncovering that dental injuries by athletes dropped significantly if they used the mouthguard.
As a result, the particular ADA started to suggest that will athletes (in non-contact plus contact sports) wear mouthguards while competing in the following 26 sports activities : acrobatics, basketball, bicycling, boxing, equestrian, football, gymnastics, handball, ice hockey, inline skating, lacrosse, martial arts, racquetball, rugby, shot put, skateboarding, skiing, skydiving, soccer, softball, squash, surfing, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting and wrestling.
The first basketball player in order to strut the protective mouth gear was Dick Perry, a player upon the UCLA Bruins from the 1940s.
During David Stern’s tenure as NBA commissioner, mouthguard use in the league skyrocketed after Stern concluded that the number of elbows thrown during games was uncanny.
Which NBA players put on mouthguards?
We know Curry wears a mouthguard, but who else? Here are some other notable NBA players who use the protecting gear:
- LeBron James
- Blake Griffin
- Rajon Rondo
How much does Steph Curry’s mouthpiece cost?
Though we don’t know the particular exact price Curry spent on the mouthpiece, we do know that wearing the item has cost Curry thousands of dollars – in fees.
Yes, fees. Curry was charged $25, 000 and $50, 000 within fines for throwing his mouthguards two separate times at games. And on Wed, the 34-year-old was thrown from Run after Center with regard to the same behavior.
Why does Steph Curry chew on his mouthpiece?
Curry will be known regarding his style of chewing in the mouthguard and letting it hang out of the side of their mouth. He claims that chewing on the particular guard puts him at peace plus keeps him calm in the midst of intensity on the court, especially when he is at the particular free throw line.
The Golden Condition star started strutting the mouthpiece whenever he endured a mouth injury throughout his stint at Davidson College. Ever since, he has continued to sport a mouthpiece.
