With larger-than-life physical dimensions and on-court personas that take on lives of their own, NBA players seem to live a life that's superhero adjacent.

But nothing blurs the lines between Commissioner Adam Silver's world and comics legend Stan Lee's more than a mask.

Whether denoting hero or villain status, the cranial accessory typically signifies the importance of a character. If there's a masked man in sight, it's worth taking note.

That's as true on the NBA hardwood as it is in comics. Just ask Joel Embiid, who's rocking a mask while recovering from an orbital bone fracture, ringing the pregame bell as the Phantom of the Process and sparking the first Philadelphia 76ers playoff run this side of their tank job.

So, it's in the spirit of Philly's cloaked centerpiece that we celebrate the Association's masked men (as well as a few who made other eyewear a staple of their time on the court).

Kobe Bryant

Hard All-Star Game fouls actually exist. Just ask Kobe Bryant.

During the 2012 version of the world's greatest pickup game, Bryant suffered a nasal fracture on a hard foul by Dwyane Wade. Bryant's then-teammates were baffled by the play, with Andrew Bynum calling it "crazy" and Pau Gasol labeling it "out of place," per ESPN.

Bryant let his play do the talking. One of his first post-All-Star contests came against Wade and the Miami Heat. Bryant not only handed the Heat their first losing streak in nearly two months, he dominated Wade in their head-to-head matchup. Bryant went for 33 points on 14-of-23 shooting, while Wade finished with more shots (17) than points (16).

The Mamba was masked for 11 games—wearing both clear and black versions—and averaged 31.1 points over that stretch. He auctioned off one of the masks that May and raised more than $67,000 for his foundation.

Rudy Tomjanovich

It's no small miracle Rudy Tomjanovich kept his career going after withstanding a nearly fatal punch from Kermit Washington in a December 1977 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.

"Tomjanovich, who crumpled to the floor, almost died that night of injuries that were akin to being thrown from a car going 50 miles per hour," per ABC News. "His skull was dislocated and spinal fluid was leaking from his brain. He recalled being able to taste the fluid in his mouth."

Who knows how Tomjanovich ever made it back between the lines. He actually played three more seasons and averaged 19 points and 35.7 minutes his first campaign back. That seems impossible looking back on his protection, which looks like a couple of strips of Nerf foam strapped together.

LeBron James

If you boiled Miami's Big Three run down to a single image, this would warrant some discussion. If nothing else, LeBron James' Zorro-style look put a masked face on basketball's best villains.

The protective gear was required after James broke his nose while posterizing Serge Ibaka in February 2014. After sitting out a contest, James returned with the black carbon-fiber mask and promptly ripped the New York Knicks for 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting.

"I liked the look of it; it looked menacing," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, via ESPN.

Sadly, the league office was less impressed and asked James to switch to a clear version. He acquiesced and then proceeded to set both a career high and a Heat franchise record with 61 points against the then-Charlotte Bobcats two games later while donning the see-through visor.

Bill Laimbeer

There's something unsettling about Bill Laimbeer's former face guard.

At first, it seems a tad less intimidating than one would think the enforcer of the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons would wear. But the more you look at how closely it contours to his face, it almost gives off this creepy Hannibal Lecter vibe like Laimbeer is wearing someone else's filleted face on top of his own.

Let's move on before Laimbeer takes this the wrong way and throws one of his signature elbows our direction.

Kyrie Irving

Considering the run of bad luck Kyrie Irving has had with injuries, it's no surprise he's a veteran of the mask game.

In 2012, he broke a bone in his jaw against the Milwaukee Bucks. But he not only avoided an absence, he played the next night in a black mask, scorching the New York Knicks for 41 points on 15-of-25 shooting.

This past November, Irving again needed plastic protection for his visage after missing one contest with a facial fracture. This time, he opted for a clear mask and dropped 25 points and five assists on the Brooklyn Nets.

It wasn't a fashion choice but rather a calculated decision to boost his distributing.

"[Irving] says he couldn't see peripherally with [the black mask], so he had no choice but to shoot every time down," ESPN's Chris Forsberg reported. "Chose clear this time so he could share the ball."

Will Perdue

What is even happening here? We could make an exhaustive number of guesses before even approaching anything related to the NBA.

For instance, we'd buy it if you told us Will Perdue had unsuccessfully tried to start a neighborhood watch group and instead became a one-man vigilante. Or that his San Antonio Spurs uniform wasn't deemed enough of a costume by someone dispensing Halloween candy, so he snatched up the first mask he could find to get his fun-size snack.

We could see this as a Tin Man/Phantom of the Opera mash-up, a last-minute luchador mask or even face paint Perdue couldn't remove after a rowdy Sunday rooting for the Oakland Raiders from the Black Hole. But facial protection for a basketball game? Never would have crossed our minds.

Russell Westbrook

Between his full-throttle style and seemingly superhuman stats, Russell Westbrook was always a likely candidate to join the Association's face-mask crew. He did it in maybe the most Westbrook way possible, suffering a fractured bone in his right cheek while tallying his third straight triple-double in February 2015.

The injury was the result of friendly fire, as he fell and was hit in the face by teammate Andre Roberson's knee. The collision left Westbrook with "a noticeable imprint on his right cheek," per the Associated Press.

That happened on a Friday. After sitting out a contest that Sunday, Westbrook was back in action the coming Wednesday. Moreover, the masked Westbrook was just like the unmasked version. He not only triple-doubled for the fourth consecutive game, but he had his most points (49) and rebounds (15)—both career highs at the time—of that stretch.

"For those of you, including myself, that thought Russell might need a couple of games to get used to wearing the mask, we were wrong," then-Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, per ESPN's Royce Young.

Brandon Williams

Remember Brandon Williams? Neither do we.

But his 18-game NBA career still produced one of the Association's more magical masks, which we still can't tell if it's more Zorro or Dread Pirate Roberts. And if Williams is producing any kind of basketball debate to this day, that's something no one can ever take away from him.

By the way, how great were the '90s? It was a lost opportunity whenever the Association ended its facial-accessory relationship with Party City.

Alonzo Mourning

You have to appreciate Alonzo Mourning's ingenuity. While the rest of the hoops world scrambled to find the ideal mask design, 'Zo opted for a full-on helmet to protect a fractured cheekbone in 1998.

Here's to hoping Mourning started each game of his masked helmeted run with a healthy, "This is Sparta!"

Amar'e Stoudemire

If you've ever had a strong feeling in the "Is a taco a sandwich?" debate, you might be willing to argue whether goggles should qualify as a mask.

We're not going down that rabbit hole. Even if goggles are less burdensome and uncomfortable than a full mask, Amar'e Stouedmire suffered through enough irritation on his road to the goggles to deserve a mention here.

The six-time All-Star suffered two eye injuries during the 2008-09 campaign. The first was a partially torn iris in his right eye from having it poked by then-teammate Boris Diaw during training camp. Then in February, he was poked in the same eye by Al Thornton and needed to have surgery to repair a partially detached retina.

Stoudemire's recovery sounds a million times more agonizing than playing basketball in a mask.

"I had to pretty much lay down on the table for 22 hours a day for 10 straight days in order to reattach the retina," Stoudemire told David Letterman in 2011, via ESPN. "You can't move at all. Honestly, it was torture."

It was also Stoudemire's key for returning to action. He never suited up again without goggles, playing six more seasons in the NBA before finishing his career in Israel. Two of his All-Star selections came after the eye ailments, as he averaged 24.2 points and 8.6 assists from 2009 to 2011.

Horace Grant

Horace Grant played 17 seasons in the NBA, won four championships and even made an All-Star roster. None of those is the initial thought when he comes to mind.

Grant was to goggles what Allen Iverson was to cornrows.

Grant's specs started as a necessity. His vision was "just barely good enough to drive in Illinois," according to a 1991 article from the Chicago Tribune. But Grant said in a Reddit AMA that he kept them on after having Lasik surgery "to help make it cool to wear goggles for the kids."

Showtime Spectacles

Three words defined the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s: Showtime, Magic and goggles.

The goggles were so iconic you would have noticed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy even if they weren't all-time greats. But each is now a Hall of Famer, and they have nine championship rings between them.

Abdul-Jabbar wore everything from these bifocal-looking frames to some eyewear that made you think he had postgame snorkeling plans. Worthy usually stuck to the sleeker, bubble style.

But it's possible—perhaps likely—that neither possessed the most recognizable look on these Lakers teams. That honor falls to the next man up.

Kurt Rambis

Fashion might be cyclical, but we're still waiting on the Kurt Rambis look to come back.

The mullet and mustache are magnificent on their own, but those glasses—incredible. It always looked like he'd grabbed some department store specs on his way to the arena.

The truth behind the glasses isn't that far off.

"When I was growing up, because I played football, basketball, baseball, I kept getting hit in the face and [my glasses] kept breaking," Rambis told NBA.com's Steve Aschburner. "My dad finally went to a store and found some unbreakable glasses, slapped them on my face, and if I wanted to play I had to wear them. So I had no choice and that's what I grew up with. It wasn't a first option, believe me."

A.C. Green

Tony Stark had nothing on A.C. Green. The NBA's Iron Man sat out three times in his entire 16-year career, appearing in a record-setting 1,192 consecutive games from November 1986 to April 2001.

While a number of ailments threatened to derail his run, an elbow from then-New York Knicks big man J.R. Reid in 1996 was perhaps the biggest peril. Green lost two front teeth from his bottom row as a result, one knocked out instantly and another jarred loose and then pulled out by Green in the locker room.

"Just take his reaction when that happened," former Phoenix Suns teammate Kevin Johnson told Michael Farber for Sports Illustrated. "A.C. just looked at the guy, picked up his tooth and walked out. Nobody in his right mind would react in such a calm manner."

Green was unique, though, and his mask lived up to that billing. He only averaged 4.8 minutes over his next 11 outings—he logged 25.8 a night that season—but it was enough to keep his unprecedented streak rolling through that campaign and another five after.

Kenyon Martin

Who said protective face masks couldn't be cool? Kenyon Martin's designer, apparently. (Harrison Barnes' agrees wholeheartedly.)

We get it. These are all functional and serve a greater purpose than high fashion. Martin broke his nose in 2002, and this monstrosity helped him get back inside the lines.

But the protective padding looks a lot like tape, which gives the mask a penny-pinching, D.I.Y. feel.

Tracy McGrady

Tracy McGrady's brief 2006 stint in a mask seems unremarkable. The look didn't really stand out, and the injury that necessitated it didn't involve a bone fracture.

But without it, how many people would remember Jake Voskuhl, whose accidental elbow to McGrady's nose forced him to adopt the plastic-protected look? Giving Voskuhl an asterisk in the NBA annals has to count for something, right?

Chris Paul

Even point gods need some extra protection every now and then.

Chris Paul's facial injury fittingly occurred in the 2011-12 season, when he was handed the superhuman task of leading the Los Angeles Clippers to relevance. On March 9, 2012, Paul caught an elbow from San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green, suffered a nasal fracture and still navigated his way to 36 points (on 60 percent shooting), 11 assists and four steals.

But the fracture meant a mask was needed, and Kenyon Martin knew from experience how bothersome one could be.

"It's annoying and he plays point guard, so I don't know how he's going to do it," Martin said, per Melissa Rohlin of the Los Angeles Times. "Trust me, I don't know how he's going to go out there and maneuver with that thing on."

Martin, of course, forgot one key detail—he was discussing a superstar. Paul returned as the masked floor general just two nights later and totaled 23 points, five assists and three steals.

Andrew Bogut

Make as many appearances on the injury report as Andrew Bogut did during his career, and you'll probably have an experience or two with a facial guard.

Andrew Bogut had to wear one during his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks and later on with the Golden State Warriors. This was the Milwaukee version, a less flattering accessory than what he'd wear as a Warrior.

Between the extra room around the nose and the way the straps don't align, this seems like it was thrown together during a timeout. Add in the fog, and it looks more like a rec-league accessory than NBA equipment.

Richard Hamilton

Is anyone more closely associated with masks than Richard Hamilton? Maybe Jason Voorhees and Jim Carrey, but certainly no one in the hoops universe.

Rip originally rocked one after breaking his nose twice in the 2003-04 season. He was advised to wear it the remainder of his playing days to guard against the need of significant nasal reconstructive surgery, per Pistons.com.

Hamilton went a step further and embraced it as his trademark trait, as he told Martin Rickman of Dime Magazine:

"There's a lot of great players in the NBA. It's hard to separate one from the other from a talent perspective. Guys come and guys go, so I always said when I wore the mask ... everybody who came into the arena was always saying: 'Who is the guy wearing the mask? Why is he wearing the mask?' I always felt that was my blueprint. Even years when I'm old and grey, people will not just remember me from a basketball standpoint, but they'll always know me for the mask."

Hamilton isn't wrong. It's hard to picture his on-court exploits without also conjuring an image of that plastic facial shield.

Plus, it's not like it hampered his play. Hamilton helped steer the Detroit Pistons to the world title in 2004. All three of his All-Star selections came after he adopted the look, as did four of his top six scoring averages.

Joel Embiid

Don't count on Embiid to follow in Hamilton's footsteps as a lifetime member of the masked hooper society.

He wore it three times in the Philadelphia 76ers' opening-round defeat of the Miami Heat but said he's still not comfortable playing in it.

"It's just weird," Embiid said, per Jack McCaffery of the Delaware County Daily Times. " ... Hopefully, it gets better. But I don't think I am getting used to it."

Embiid's numbers reach the same conclusion. His three-game playoff averages include 18.7 points on 41.7 percent shooting. This season—his first as an NBA All-Star—he put up 22.9 points per night with a 48.3 percent accuracy rate.

That said, Philly will rightfully err on the side of caution. A source told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer that "a forceful blow to the orbital bone could even permanently damage the sight in his left eye."

Permanent eye damage would be concerning for any person. With Embiid, the worry is amplified a thousand times over. He's not only the leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker of a possible championship contender, but he hasn't even started collecting his new five-year contract which kicks in next season and could pay him as much as $178 million.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.