The Accessories That Were BANNED By The NBA..

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Some of these accessories that have recently been banned from the NBA and the fines that come with them, you won't believe.
Now, Kanye West recently took to Instagram and other social medias, making it very clear that he was designing a signature shoe into something that NBA players would soon enjoy. But according to ESPN, Kanye's shoes, which would be the basketball version of his popular Yeezys, would be banned by the NBA because of the shining reflective material heel. Now, the NBA potentially found these shoes in violation of the NBA's footwear color restrictions, particularly because of the distraction it would cause for in arena spectators and television viewers. Sports Illustrated reporters said that the reflective heel would be banned by the NBA without a doubt, but didn't say anything negative when asked if the shoe would be accepted if it was modified to a style without the reflection. Now, obviously Yeezys have made waves the last few years, and many players have been seen wearing them before and after their games. Although many top tier players in the league have their own shoes like LeBron, James Harden, Kyrie, Kanye's approach was for the middle tier athletes that don't have their own shoe deal. So with players no longer being required to wear shoes matching their team's uniform colors, the league still has an approval process for new brands in the beginning of the season. According to the NBA's vice president of outfitting and equipment, he said, companies will typically submit sneakers for the first half of the season by early August, with shoes scheduled to be worn after the All-Star break required for approval by early December. Now, after Kanye ended up hearing that his shoes would be denied, he took his thoughts to Instagram saying that the sneaker has been in the works for over three years and has gone through 300-plus examples to perfect this NBA style. Adidas athletes were expected to debut the shoe on the court during this year's season, but every year, NBA officials have to sign off on new designs from sportswear brands ahead of their game time appearance, and a source told ESPN they likely would not be permitted, although a version without the reflective material could be in the future.
Now, earlier this season, the NBA notified JR Smith that he could face a fine for each game that he fails to cover up a new tattoo. Last August, JR ended up rocking a new tattoo on the back of his right leg, displaying the company logo of Supreme, which is his way of showcasing the brand under the spotlight. But Smith's tattoo, which is of a company logo, doesn't follow the guidelines set by the NBA, the collective bargaining agreement. Now, according to Article 37, it actually states that a player may not, during any NBA game, display any commercial, promotional, or charitable name, mark, logo, or other identification, including but not limited to his body, in his hair, or otherwise. This ultimately means that JR is not allowed to show off any other branding than what the NBA promotes, or is within their branding contract. This allows the NBA to fully find Smith for having the logo displayed during game. Smith actually ended up speaking publicly about this issue and even said, So I was informed today that I would be fined every game if I don't cover up my Supreme tattoo on my legs during games. These people in the league office are something else, and in the caption, he actually added that he felt targeted by the league. Even prior to this year's season beginning, Lonzo Ball also dealt with a similar situation surrounding his very own brand. Just two weeks after the NBA warned JR of his Supreme tattoo, the NBA also approached Lonzo with the same offer, either cover it up or get fined. Lonzo, who has Big Baller brand tattooed on his lower right elbow, was asked to cover it up because of the issues it causes with brand deals. Shortly after the controversy, JR as well as Lonzo have been covering up their tattoos with athletic tape ever since. But ironically enough, both players missed large portions of this year's season. JR Smith requesting a trade but being unsuccessful with his demand earlier in the year, and not playing a single game since, and Lonzo suffering devastating injuries that held him out as well as being surrounded by the constant spotlight, headlines, and drama with trade rumors similar to last season. But the entire ruling surrounding this situation was actually put into place around 2011, but hasn't been something that the NBA acted on until last year, when the NBA asked Washington Wizards forward Kelly Ubrea Jr. to remove his supreme leg sleeve that he wore during a game. Now, unlike a permanent tattoo, Kelly was slightly moved by the fact that NBA would ask this, but did remove it as it was a small change. And even JR Smith was involved with the supreme issue then as well, when he wore an arm sleeve from the company. During a highly anticipated matchup against the Lakers and Lonzo Ball under the spotlight, Smith took to the court rocking the latest creation from this billion dollar company and brand of Supreme. On his left arm, the shooting guard rocked a dry fit Nike shooting sleeve featuring the NBA logo with the iconic slanted supreme script. He said, I thought the sleeve was dope. Obviously, Supreme is an amazing brand, but the fact that they did a collaboration with Nike and the league, it felt like a no brainer to me. The shooting sleeve was released in two colors, black and red, online and in store, but quickly disappeared forever after these two instances took place. Now, another instance surrounding brand issues was when Iman Shumpert headlined the NBA news back in 2013 when playing for the Knicks. One night, he actually got an Adidas logo shaved into the back of his head. For Shumpert, he's always been known for his unique identity both on and off the court, his unique fashion sense, and of course, his one of a kind high top hairstyles, so he didn't think that there'd be an issue with this design. Now, during a Friday night game against the Bucks, the NBA happened to notice the logo, and by the next day, Iman posted a picture of a freshly shaved triangle in the back of his head, and a caption that said, Sorry NBA, didn't realize there were branding issues with the logo. The NBA acted quickly making Iman get rid of this logo, but a day prior, an ESPN reporter stated that NBA shouldn't even have an issue with the design because Adidas is a partner of the NBA. But many others fired back saying that any logos are banned unless it's on the player's shoe or it's involved with the sponsorship deals.