Since Kawhi Leonard had a mouthpiece during the Christmas game against the Denver Nuggets, Kawhi Leonard has not been commissioned for his team, and has not turned up the last two games. That all changed Wednesday when he returned to court against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The injury Leonard sustained required eight stitches and was not completely healed when he returned to court, meaning he had to wear a face shield to protect his mouth from touching. But when images of the Clippers star in the mask started sticking out, people started noticing that it was a bit oddly shaped.
Of course, many NBA fans will associate the face mask that players tend to break with Rip Hamilton, the former Pistons star who regularly started wearing one after breaking his nose twice in one season, and doctors who said he had to wear one to prevent reconstructive surgery from being needed. So, with the familiarity of the mask, which other players have worn since Hamilton put on his first robe, the difference with Leonard is quite strong.
In many cases, the difference is also quite funny, as many Twitter users noticed during Wednesday’s game. Here are some of the best tweets from Leonard’s return to court with his interesting new face mask.