# What's up with the black bands that NBA players wear on their uniforms?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 2, 1999, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071 "1999-12-02T16:30:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/1 "1999-12-02T16:30:00Z")
Have you noticed it before? They’re these little black bands that the NBA players wear on the shoulder straps of their uniforms. Not all the teams where them, but quite a few do. What’s the deal?
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/2 "1999-12-02T16:33:00Z")
Well at least I got the word “wear” right in the topic title…
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### Author:  [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/3 "1999-12-02T16:33:00Z")
They are put on uniforms in memory of a person who died recently.
The Lakers are wearing it because of Wilt Chamberlain.
Could be a player, owner, official, employee, etc.
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Well, shut my mouth. It’s also illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling.
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/4 "1999-12-02T16:38:00Z")
> [@](#):
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> They are put on uniforms in memory of a person who died recently.
I kind of figured it was that, sort of like what the police do when they cover their badges in memory of a fallen officer. But then I ruled it out since there were so many teams that wear them all the time. I guess it’s become a permanent thing…
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### Author:  [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/5 "1999-12-02T16:53:00Z")
Well, people have kept up this nasty habit of dying. If you think about all of the people associated with an organization (or the league as a whole) it is pretty likely that a majority of teams are going to be honoring someone.
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/6 "1999-12-02T17:00:00Z")
Yeah, but for how long? I’m convinced I’ve seen the Heat wearing them for at least the past three years, although I could be wrong. Anybody else notice a team where these things seem to be a permanent fixture?
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### Author:  [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/7 "1999-12-02T22:59:00Z")
I’d say almost all sports do it. The St. Louis Cardinals wore black armbands during the 1982 World Series in memory of Ken Boyer, who had recently died.
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It’s a long way to heaven, but only three short steps to hell.
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/8 "1999-12-02T23:05:00Z")
> [@](#):
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> I’d say almost all sports do it. The St. Louis Cardinals wore black armbands during the 1982 World Series in memory of Ken Boyer, who had recently died.
I didn’t mean how long has this tradition been in practice. I meant how long does an individual team usually mourn the loss before they take the black strap thingy off?
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [December 2, 1999, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-black-bands-that-nba-players-wear-on-their-uniforms/5071/9 "1999-12-02T23:16:00Z")
Traditional mourning period in sports is until the end of the schedule of the year the person died.
After that, you have to get a plaque, monument, statue, or have your number retired.