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As expected, the thing that drew more attention than anything on the last NBA night of action was LeBron James playing with a black mask on his face because of his broken nose, resulting in quite a few hilarious memes, even if they were predictable.
Previous masks worn by NBA players, including James himself when he was on the Cavs, are usually see-through. This one was black, giving James something of a sinister, formidable look, as if he needed anything more. It also made people draw comparisons to superheroes and villains.
The most popular joke was Batman, but there were some S&M (Pulp Fiction) and The Mask references. Some even tried to invent a new Superhero called Flopman, for the many flops LeBron James is known for, although there are far worse floppers in the NBA, and James doesn’t actually flop each time he’s fouled. And then there’s Chris Bosh, who took the mask thing into a whole different, operatic level.
The most important thing for James was playing well with the mask, and that was clear to see. He scored 31 points as the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 108-82, making it almost a perfect February for his team (9-1) and himself, becoming the first player in over 10 years to finish a month averaging over 30 points, 8 rebounds while shooting 57% or better from the field.