# What's that "sleeve" worn by Carmelo Anthony (and others)?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [November 5, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443 "2009-11-05T17:24:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/1 "2009-11-05T17:24:49Z")
What’s that sleeve thing that ‘melo (et al) wears? What’s it for? What does it do? Why does he only wear it on one arm?
Sorry, I just can’t figure it out from looking at it. It doesn’t seem like a support or a brace or a wrap or tape job (e.g. taping an ankle for support), but if it conferred some sort of advantage then why wouldn’t he wear one on both arms? And why wouldn’t everyone wear them?
Thanks!!
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### Author:  [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/2 "2009-11-05T17:32:15Z")
The reasons vary. Sometimes it’s supposedly for tendinitis or a similar condition. Other times, people wear them to cover tattoos.
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/3 "2009-11-05T17:36:01Z")
Right, the NBA commissioner has strongly “requested” players with extensive tattoos to cover them up, in the cause of the league’s image. Allan Iverson wears what amounts to a body stocking.
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/4 "2009-11-05T17:43:52Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> Right, the NBA commissioner has strongly “requested” players with extensive tattoos to cover them up, in the cause of the league’s image. Allan Iverson wears what amounts to a body stocking.
Carmelo’s temmates Chris Anderson, Kenyon Martin, and JR Smith have way more tattoos than Anthony. It’s called a shooting sleeve and lots of guys wear them. It is supposed to give support and keep the arm warm. Lots of questions as to whether it does those thing or not.
The idea that it is covering up gang tattoos is an urban legend.
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### Author:  [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/5 "2009-11-05T20:40:20Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#):
>
> It’s called a shooting sleeve and lots of guys wear them. It is supposed to give support and keep the arm warm. Lots of questions as to whether it does those thing or not.
That may be true but why do most players wear them on the off arm?
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### Author:  [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/6 "2009-11-05T20:49:19Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#):
>
> That may be true but why do most players wear them on the off arm?
They’re probably just a fashion accesory - they like the way it looked on Allen Iverson and copied it. Most people say they don’t do anything anyway. I know I wouldn’t want anything that would crinkle up in my elbow while I was shooting.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/7 "2009-11-05T20:51:22Z")
It’s ostensibly a brace, but mostly it’s a fashion accessory. For a while players took to wearing them on their legs as well - Dwyane Wade was doing it, to name one - but the league cracked down on it.
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### Author:  [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-that-sleeve-worn-by-carmelo-anthony-and-others/516443/8 "2009-11-05T20:53:30Z")
It’s a compression sleeve. Iverson was the first to wear it that I can remember, and he did so following elbow surgery to support his arm. His is on his shooting arm. I believe Kobe and Nate Robinson wear them on their right arms as well. Carmelo had an elbow injury, but he wears his sleeve on his left arm, and the injury was to the right, so maybe he tried the sleeve and liked it but it interfered with his shot or something.
It’s mostly, and in many cases entirely, a fashion thing, but it’s essentially just a brace.