If you have viewed an NBA, College or High School game lately, you may have noticed players wearing a sleeve on one or both of their arms. You probably started to wonder why do basketball players wear these sleeves.
Below we will help you understand why these sleeves are worn by the players any if one might benefit you as a player or you son or daughter if you are a parent of a basketball player.
One of the keys to any sport is making sure you are comfortable and can perform at your max potential. Playing confidently and feeling good about yourself can go a long way in helping you perform at your max level. In the NBA, players can play up to 82 games plus the playoffs.
When you consider a player like LeBron James and the number of games he has played in his career as he has played in 15 plus seasons and has reached the NBA Finals 8 times.
This is a ton of games and taking care of your body is essential to having a long career and reaching your full potential. The wear and tear on the body is real.
Fortunately, there are quality protects that still allow a player to perform at a high level while adding a certain level of protection. The padded compression sleeves and shorts are rather impressive.
Why Do Basketball Players Wear Sleeves?
There are a variety of reasons that basketball players will wear sleeves that include the following:
- Comfort
- Protection
- Injury – Compression Benefits
- Recent Tattoo
- Fashion Statement
- Floor Burn
After a brief discussion of these reasons, we will answer some related questions to arm sleeves and other protective gear.
#1 – Comfort
LIke we discussed earlier, the better you feel, the better you can play. Just because you have an arm compression sleeve doesn’t guarantee that you will play better, but much of the game is mental.
If you are bruised up or have a quality reason to wear the arm sleeve, then it just might help you. We believe testing out different feels could help you gain somewhat of a competitive edge.
At the end of the day, you must be comfortable and ready to when the ball is thrown in the air for the tip. Most basketball seasons can feel like a marathon and when competing there are bumps and bruises that you must be able to play through to reach your full potential.
#2 – Protection
With the long season, which even at the high school level can last 4 months, you have to be able to protect your body. Some of the compression sleeves have padding to provide an extra layer of protection.
There are those players who often take the ball to the hoop and can often get fouled hard. This can result in hitting the ground several times a game. This extra padding provides the protection needed to keep your body from bruising and being sore after every game or practice.
Once again, the protection comes back to comfort. Make sure you are ready to go and don’t forget to protect your body. You only get one!
#3 – Injury – Compression Benefits
The compression sleeves have been proven to increase blood flow. If you are struggling with an injury and need that extra blood flow, the compression sleeve might help you perform at a high level.
This isn’t necessarily going to help you shoot better or play better, but it can help you get through a game and feel better during the game, which can help you play a higher level.
Basketball can be a high contact sport and bumps and bruises do happen. Having this extra padding can help you prevent injuries and then also help your injury feel better during the game with the increased blood flow.
#4 – Recent Tattoo
If you have seen an NBA game you know that the players love their tattoos. In fact, many have sleeves of tattoos and seem to have something new rather frequently. For those that have a tattoo, they might want that extra protection as the tattoo heals and the skin becomes less sensitive.
Others, such as Allen Iverson, who help make the arm sleeve popular, may be looking to cover a tattoo up if it is offensive and hurts the image of the player or of the NBA. Each player has their own brand that they must protect in order to increase their level of sponsorships and not turn off potential or current sponsors.
If the tattoo is offensive and very visible on television, the player would be wise to cover the tattoo up during the games. We all know the camera angles during games are excellent and with high definition television it is easy to see the tattoos.
A player could lose millions of dollars in sponsorships if the tattoos are offensive. The player may have had the tattoo at a younger age and now regret the message that the tattoo sends.
#5 – Fashion Statement
Let’s face it, many high school or college athletes want to be like the NBA players. LeBron James and others are known for wearing their arm sleeves, which has helped grow the popularity of the arm sleeves as a simple fashion statement.
Shoes are a major item and fashion statement, headbands and now even the compression sleeves. Each player has their preference and wants to build their brand, I can’t blame them for seeking comfort or a fashion statement if that is their thing. Ultimately, the are all independent contracts trying to make a large sum or money in a relatively short time.
#6 – Floor Burn
Anyone that has played basketball over the course of a period of time, know that we can all get floor burns pretty easily from playing basketball. Whether this is from diving on the floor or getting knocked to the floor from a hard foul.
The reality is that players end up on the floor and the game is rather demanding. Floor burns hurt and stick around for a while. The arm sleeves can help prevent floor burns or even protect current floor burns. This is just yet another benefit of the arm sleeves.
Should You Wear an Arm Sleeve?
Our recommendation would be to test it out. It might bring a certain level of comfort to your game and help you perform better. THere are also some decent qualities in the arm sleeves that can help protect some of the minor bumps and bruises that take place.
It will still take hard work to become a great shooter or an awesome basketball player. However, at the same time, if they weren’t comfortable and did offer some level of performance increase, the NBA players probably would not be using them at the rate that they do. Go ahead and give it a shot and see how it feels.
Which Arm Sleeve Should You Buy?
Here is one with protective padding that is made for multiple sports:
Looking for options for youth player, check this one out:
What other protective or compression products are there?
Another area that can often get banged up is on the hips and thighs. It is amazing the quality of the products available now. Many youth players can end up on the floor over 10 times a game.
Or if you are a slasher that goes to the basketball and plays close to the rim, the fall from a foul can be pretty far and hard. It is worth checking these shorts out to provide that level of protection that will help you recover after each game and practice.
You might even want to pick up several pairs so you can have a clean set for every basketball game or practice.
What NBA Players Wear Arm Sleeves?
Here are some NBA players that we have noticed wearing arm sleeves (past and present):
- LeBron James
- Allen Iverson
- Ray Allen
- Russell Westbrook
- Dwayne Wade
- Carmello Anthony
- Kobe Bryant
Some of these players such as Carmelo Anthony wore an arm sleeve on each arm.
Take Action
Ultimately, you want to protect yourself and provide yourself with every edge possible. The game is competitive enough and can be difficult to play if you are hesitant or not feeling 100%. Taking these simple measures can go a long way in protecting yourself and giving yourself the best possible advantage to perform at your peak.
Check out these options above and go ahead and test them out. I wish they had these when we were growing up playing basketball. I recall the bumps and bruises that occur and now the comfortability of these products are amazing and well worth it!
We have purchased for all three of our kids as they play travel and AAU basketball. The season can be long and difficult and the money invested is worth it to stay healthy and performing at a high level.