Top Beards in the NBA in the 2021-22 Season
The NBA is one of the most competitive basketball leagues in the world. Featuring high-powered athletes, these players are paid big bucks in an attempt to secure a championship ring for their respective team. And while these players are all all-stars in their own right, some take extra measures to help develop their brand and promote their lifestyle.
And one such way that many NBA players do so is by growing out their facial hair. Often providing them with a unique look and style, facial hair and bears in the NBA have become more-and-more popular. Below, we are going to look at the top beards in the NBA in the 2021-22 season and finally determine who has the best beard in the league.
Interested in additional NBA players appearances? Be sure to check out our reviews on the best NBA players with dreads and the best bald NBA players.
Why do NBA Players Play with Beards?
While not all NBA players play with beards or facial hair, there has been an upward trend in terms of total players playing with either a beard or some level of facial hair. And while, unfortunately, playing with a beard cannot help to improve your overall game, many NBA players opt to play with a beard due to personal or religious reasons.
However, an even more number of NBA players opt to play with beards due to the added recognizability and presence that playing with one affords them. Playing with a beard, particularly a large or full one, can help fans to instantly recognize those players, thus helping them to increase their own personal brand.
And lastly, for many players, playing with a beard is simply easier. From a seemingly endless amount of interstate travel, hotel bookings, practices and trainings, interviews, and personal projects and charities, many NBA players simply find not shaving to be a time saver.
James Harden
We would be remiss to not include James Harden as having the top beard in the NBA in the 2021-22 season. The NBA player who, arguably, re-introduced beards to the league, James Harden has maintained a thick, full beard for most of his playing career.
One of the most prolific scorers in the NBA and one of the best shooting guards of all-time, Harden is also one of the top players in the league. Having played for Arizona State’s Sun Devils, he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009.
And selected third overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden made an immediate impact on the league. named Sixth Man of the Year in 2012, he would help the Thunder reach the NBA Finals, where they would lose in five games to the Miami Heat.
LeBron James
Arguably the best NBA player in the league right now, LeBron James also frequently sports a full, thick beard. Nicknamed “King James”, he is widely considered one of the best players in league history and is often compared to both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
In his career, James has won four NBA championships, four MVP awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards, three All-Star MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals. In addition, James has scored the most points in the playoffs, the second most career points, and the seventh most career assists. He has been selected an NBA All-Star 18 times and to the All-NBA Team a record 17 times.
Steph Curry
A player who radically changed the face, pace, and offensive abilities of the league, Steph Curry can often be found playing with a semi-thick beard. Having been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player twice in his career, Curry has also won three NBA championships.
Steph Curry is widely considered the best shooter in the history of the NBA. He is credited with revolutionizing the game and helping to inspire other teams and players to utilize the three-point shot more effectively.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Nicknamed KAT, Karl-Anthony Towns is a Dominican-American NBA player who plays center for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Having played basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, Karl-Anthony Towns played for the Dominican Republic’s national team at just the age of 16.
Selected as the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, he would go on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for the 2015-16 season and has received three All-Star selections. In addition, he was the first center to ever win the NBA’s Three-Point Contest in the 2021-22 season.
Kevin Durant
Often seen sporting a rough beard, Kevin Durant, or KD, is one of the best players in the league. He currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Kevin Durant was heavily recruited while in high school and was considered the second-best player in his class. He played one season of college basketball with the Texas Longhorns before making himself eligible for the NBA.
He played nine seasons with the SuperSonics, before playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder and then the Golden State Warriors, where he won consecutive NBA championships.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, where he plays with all-time beard great James Harden. He is a Cameroonian basketball player and was drafted with the third overall draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the 76ers.
After playing just one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he would enter the league and make the NBA All-Rookie First Team despite only playing 31 games. He has received five All-Star selections and has nicknamed himself “the Process”.
Kyrie Irving
A player who often faces much criticism, Irving is one of the most prolific and adept basketball players in the league. currently playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Irving would be named Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Kyrie Irving played college basketball for famed program Duke and would win the Most Valuable Player Award in the NBA in the 2014 All-Star Game. In the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving would make the championship-winning three-point field goal to complete the Cavaliers’ comeback against the Golden State Warriors.