Late in Friday night's win against the Charlotte Hornets, LeBron James suffered a corneal abrasion in his right eye that threatened his availability over the weekend. The Cavs have more important things than regular season wins on their minds, so it wouldn't have been crazy for LeBron to take the night off (even after taking heat for resting in recent weeks).
Instead of heading to the bench for another evening, James decided to unveil a new look. Enter Goggles LeBron. Richard Jefferson hinted at the possibility Saturday afternoon, when James entered Cleveland's locker room with a pair of wraparound shades you'd typically see on a baseball diamond:
Speculation began to build about whether he'd don a pair of goggles during Saturday night's game against the Wizards. James was initially resistant to the idea, at least according to several Cavs reporters:
It's a good thing he wasn't under oath when he said that, because LeBron took the floor with a pair of tinted goggles on, looking every bit like a throwback to the glory days of Rec Specs. People were excited about the development, and he even punctuated their debut with a bang:
Long may Goggles LeBron reign! Unfortunately for fans of the look, a slow start for the Cavs prompted the reigning Finals MVP to throw caution to the wind and discard his new eyewear, going goggle-less with 3:37 left to play in the first quarter:
It's a shame the experiment had to end so soon. LeBron's career is so scrutinized that even his in-game fashion choices become part of his legacy; his performance with no headband on in the 2013 NBA Finals is the stuff of legend, and he eventually shed his signature headwear in an effort to build solidarity with his teammates. Given time, the goggles might have been his new secret weapon.
On second thought, you probably know a lot more about this basketball thing than we do. Do you, LeBron.
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