For all the Lakers fans who’ve grown quite fond of the “Kobe Mask” through three exciting post-All-Star games, even its job isn’t secure as Bryant searches for the best way to maximize his performance while not 100 percent.
Lakers trainer Gary Vitti plans to meet Monday with the innovator of the basketball mask, Detroit-based Jerry McHale, to look into possible upgrade from the mask Bryant has been wearing to protect his broken nose.
McHale first introduced the mask into the NBA world for the Pistons’ Bill Laimbeer to play with an orbital fracture, and McHale also designed Richard Hamilton’s famous mask that helped the Pistons beat the Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals and Hamilton continues to wear despite his broken nose having healed.
The Lakers travel to the Detroit area on Monday in advance of their game Tuesday night against the Pistons. McHale has said he designed a mask for Bryant to protect a facial injury back when Bryant was in high school.
Bryant’s current mask was made by Marc Fleckner, who made a mold of Bryant’s face to shape the custom-fitted mask Bryant first wore Wednesday. Fleckner makes most of the Lakers’ orthotics.
Although Bryant is pleased with the mask, he has complained about how hot it feels. After his first game with it, Bryant said: “It was kind of like a sauna on my face. I was drinking my own sweat or something.”
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