Rip Hamilton. LeBron James. Brandon Lee.

Normally this trio wouldn’t be grouped together, but in this case, all three have brought the protective face mask back into the spotlight.

“Actually LeBron had it after me, so he’s doing a little biting off my style or whatever,” said Lee, a Northwestern guard.

Because of facial fractures in the past year, each of these players has had to wear a mask and also adjust to having his face covered during games.

Lee’s mask is made of a hard, protective plastic that was custom-made by doctors to fit his face.

“It’s been a real pain in the butt, but I adjusted pretty easily,” Lee said. “Coach let me go hard in practice, and that helped a lot.”

Lee suffered a fractured right orbital in practice Dec. 12 when he collided with center Mike Thompson’s elbow. The injury required an overnight stay in the hospital, but the freshman seems to be progressing from the injury.

He will have time to heal, since coach Bill Carmody said Thursday that Lee was suspended for breaking team rules.

Doctors told Lee the fracture will take a month and a half to heal and he will have to wear the protective mask for the remainder of the season.

“I guess it’s become more fashionable because the game is becoming more physical … and more players tend to get injured,” Lee said.

Lee said he experiences some discomforts from the mask, as does mostly everyone who is forced to protect his face after an injury.

Lee said it can be harder to breathe and to talk wearing the mask.

“It’s always something new, but I’m just trying to continue to play hard,” he said.

This is the first major injury of Lee’s career, but teammate Sterling Williams said he has not heard Lee complain about the injury or having to wear the mask.

“If it were me, I would be hesitant to want to play at all,” Williams said.

After making it through four years at Peoria Central High School injury-free, Lee was injured only a few months into his joining the NU program.

“Every player has a twisted ankle or a jammed finger, but I’ve never had a broken face before,” he said.

Reach Zach Silka at [email protected].