Many people don’t consider basketball to be a contact sport. But when you think about it, hands are always prodding and poking at the player’s face while they dribble and shoot. This could often lead to eye injuries, which are never fun.

If you’ve ever seen a play wearing goggles on the court, this could be the reason. Some players have been hit in the eyes way too many times and need to wear the goggles to prevent it from happening again. Another reason, which is much less common in today’s game is sight. Players wore goggles years back when they didn’t have good eyesight, but due to the advances in contacts, it’s very rare that players have to wear goggles.

Lastly, players could also wear goggles if they’re having issues with bright lights and glare. Dwyane Wade had issues with migraines at one point in his career, and wore slightly tinted goggles in order to keep the lights from affecting him.

Who Is The Most Notable Player In The NBA To Have Worn Goggles?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem is probably the most notable when it comes to players who have worn goggles. Kareem is the 2nd leading scorer in league history and has arguably the best resume when it comes to basketball in general, due to the accolades in high school, college, and the NBA.

Kareem didn’t wear goggles because of eye site issues, he actually wore goggles because he got poked in the eyes so frequently. You could probably attribute this to his signature shot, the sky hook (the shot he’s doing in the photo below) because players tried so hard to reach his arm, and often got his face instead.

Horace Grant

Another notable player who wore goggles was Horace Grant. Finally, a player that didn’t wear them for injury purposes. Grant actually had to wear them in order to see. Without goggles, Horace Grant was actually legally blind.

Do Any Players Wear Goggles Today?

The only notable player that wear goggles consistently in todays game is Wendell Carter Jr. This case is also due to an eye abrasion injury. Although he’s the only one, there sure has been viral moments with him and his goggles, let’s check them out.

Throwing Them At a Ref

In a game against the Cavaliers, Wendell got mad that he didn’t get a foul call, and threw his goggles at the ref, leading to an ejection.

Lebron Tried Them On

In a game against the Lakers, Wendell’s glasses fell and broke. Lebron was the one who managed to pick them up, and funny enough, he tried them on.

Why Don’t More Players Wear Goggles?

If they don’t have to they shouldn’t. Contacts are way less annoying to play basketball in. Take Lebron James for instance. One game he started with goggles on, and within 9 minutes, he had to take them off because they annoyed him so much.

Being a basketball player myself, I couldn’t see how goggles are beneficial other than eye protection (when needed).

Conclusion

As you could see, basketball goggles used to be more for vision issues. However, in todays game if you see a player wearing them it’s usually because they have had some type of eye injury that they can’t risk reinjuring.