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Did NBA Really Deny Chet Holmgren's Request to Play in a Durag? Exploring Viral Tweet
Did Chet Holmgren really ask to play in a durag during a game but got shut down by the NBA? Here’s all you need to know!
Centel'd again? We hear you. Allow us to expand. No, the NBA did NOT reject Chet Holmgren's request to play in a durag—because that request never happened. But the photo? Oh, that’s definitely Chet Holmgren rocking a durag. So, what's the deal?
Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Recently, a post has been circulating online, claiming that Chet Holmgren asked to play a game while wearing a durag, but the NBA turned him down. The post even cites sources, specifically the well-known NBA insider Shams Charania.
But here’s the truth: it’s all bogus. The account that posted "Chet Holmgren's request to play in a durag has reportedly been denied by the NBA, per @SharmsCharania" is NBA Centel. Now, for those who aren’t familiar—and those who've been "Centel'd" before—Centel is a parody account that riffs on NBA Central. They churn out NBA-related content purely for laughs and entertainment.
Let's set some context here. First, the image. Yes, it’s really Chet Holmgren wearing a durag on a plane. We did some digging and found that this image was even featured in a news article with the headline, "Chet Holmgren wearing a durag while eating a sandwich on a private plane goes viral."
Second, what's a durag, and who wears it? According to Collins Dictionary, "A durag or a do-rag, is a close-fitting headscarf, worn esp by African American men." Byrdie adds that one of the earliest mentions of the durag was in the June 1966 Akron Beacon Journal, where it was spelled "Do Rag" and described as "a cloth band worn around the forehead as a sweatband to keep hair in place."
Durags evolved from the 19th century when enslaved women used head wraps to keep their hair up during labor. By the late 1970s, companies like So Many Waves were selling their version, known as the "Tie-down." Initially functional, by the 1990s, durags had transformed into a symbol of inner-city Black culture, becoming a style accessory popularized by hip-hop and worn by men and boys across the country.
Third and final, are NBA players allowed to wear durags? No, they're not. It's a banned item. According to Silky Durag, the NBA banned durags after Sam Perkins became the first player to wear one during a game. Perkins sported a durag while playing for the Indiana Pacers, but David Stern and the league quickly banned it due to safety concerns.
Though the NBA's specific safety concerns weren’t detailed, that didn’t stop players from wearing durags off the court. Allen Iverson brought the durag back, using it to protect his iconic cornrows. It recently resurfaced in the spotlight when Chet Holmgren wore one, and it eventually became a meme.
For those who got Centel’d again. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Centel covers humorous stories like this—recently, they joked about how Kevin Durant got kicked out of Kim Kardashian's home after asking, "Did Booker really smash?" during a game of Truth or Dare. We’ve covered that one too, so check it out!
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