How Difficult Will It Be For Embiid To Wear A Protective Mask?

Now that Joel Embiid underwent surgery on Saturday for the Orbital Fracture he sustained on Wednesday Night, the hope is that he will be available at the start of the postseason for the Sixers.  Many NBA players over the years have suffered facial injuries and returned to the court wearing a protective mask.  From Alonzo Mourning (Fractured Cheekbone) to Kenyon Martin (Broken Nose) along with Kyrie Irving (Broken Jaw) and LeBron James (Broken Nose), the protective mask has been worn by many of the biggest names in the NBA.

14 year NBA Guard Richard "Rip" Hamilton is one of the most famous players with wear the protective mask, as he did so for most of his professional career starting in 2003.  Hamilton joined The Locker Room with Billy Schweim on Saturday with his perspective on Embiid's injury:

“Embiid is going through something (serious) right now because they’re going to ask him to wear that mask and that mask is difficult especially if you never wore anything on your face before – It's very difficult to put on, especially play the game and especially when you talk about shooting a basketball.  He’s a great shooter and he means so much for the Sixers; He just doesn’t bring an impact on the game defensively but his shooting, passing, scoring, and everything else.”

Hear what "Rip" Hamilton had to say about Villanova in the 2018 Final Four, his impressions of Jalen Brunson, along with looking back on his NBA career