Kawhi Leonard dons Hannibal Lecter mask after mouth laceration (Photo)

Kawhi Leonard is wearing a special mask on the court to protect his mouth.

NBA players will wear masks to protect their faces following a variety of injuries. Kawhi Leonard is donning one Wednesday night in order to protect his mouth after a nasty laceration suffered on Christmas.

Most masks look the same and cover the whole face. But in typical Leonard fashion, he went in a much different direction.

Kawhi Leonard channels his inner Hannibal Lecter

Uh, this mask gives off some serious Hannibal Lecter vibes. While this may be functional, it looks absolutely ridiculous.

Leonard doesn’t seem like someone who is going to care about how he looks on the floor. His goal is to win and also make sure his mouth is protected for the time being. Anyone watching when he suffered his injury saw blood pouring from his mouth in what was truly a scary scene.

Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Lecter. Is there a difference?

The memes have already been born, and if Leonard has a huge night, he may want to keep the mask for good luck. He may also be the only NBA star who could rock a nickname featuring one of cinema’s most disturbing characters.

This will be Leonard’s third game of the season and he returns at a good time. The LA Clippers suffered a historic loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and were able to bounce back with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Leonard needs to be on the floor for this team to have sustained success, and him starting Wednesday night is a great sign for Clippers fans.

How he looks won’t matter except when it comes to memes.