NBA Players Faking It With Glasses
To be honest, I’m not a big basketball fan. But I recently saw a picture of NBA superstar, LeBron James (of the Miami Heat) sporting a pair of stylish, black plastic vintage-style eyeglass frames. The photo caught my attention, so I decided to do a little research and see if this great ballplayer actually had any vision problems. I never noticed him wearing goggles on the court during those games my husband has forced me to watch. Maybe he wears contacts? I wondered…
But, guess what I found out? He doesn’t wear glasses! He’s faking it! Some of these NBA stars have even made it really obvious that they don’t need vision correction by wearing their glasses without any lenses in them at all.
Why Wear Glasses You Don’t Need?
As I dug a little deeper I discovered that wearing cool, hipster glasses that you don’t need is a hot trend with a lot of professional athletes. The NBA stars have gotten the most attention for it this summer, but online reports say that NFL players are doing it too!
When asked about his smart looking glasses, NBA superstar, Dwayne Wade (also of the Heat), said he wore his fake glasses (just “plano” or non-prescription lenses in the frame) to let kids know that it’s cool to be educated. To Wade, looking smart is one way he feels he can be a good role model. That makes it even cooler!
Rachel Johnson, stylist for Wade and James says she likes to use designer glasses as a chic fashion accessory for times when the men need to be taken more seriously and make a good impression. Reportedly, Wade has seven pairs of fashion glasses, including a cool pair of blue frames like the one pictured here.
Media publications ranging from Business Week to USA Today all picked up on the trend. Photos of Oklahoma City Thunder guard, Russell Westbrook sporting a giant red plastic “nerd” frame after game 1 of the NBA finals (last June) surfaced everywhere. While Kevin Durant, also with the Thunder, got some attention for modeling a smaller, rounder fashion frame like this men’s glasses frame designed by Randy Jackson.
So guys, if you want to look as smart (or at least as hip) as a professional athlete—try glasses! Designer frames like this one from Bronx are as inexpensive as $49.95 yet offer a lot of style.
Don’t need glasses to see either? Well, make a trip to your eye doctor just to make sure and then pick out a pair anyway. Apparently, faking it is in style!
