NBA unhappy with LeBron James's facemask

The NBA have asked LeBron James to change his protective facemask for the Miami Heat's game against the Orlando Magic later today.

The forward wore a black carbon-fibre mask over his broken nose during the team's win over the New York Knicks earlier this week, but the league have urged the reigning MVP to switch to a clear one.

"It is our understanding LeBron used the black mask because a clear one he was comfortable with wasn't ready," ESPN quotes a league spokesman as saying.

James practised with a clear mask for two days ahead of the Knicks game, but decided to use the black one as he found it easier to play with.