Why does Richard Hamilton wear that face guard?

Hamilton suffered a broken nose 3 time and needed surgery to repair it. He wears the mask to prevent another injury. Hamilton said in an interview with IGN Sports: "I continued to wear the face mask for protection. It was not something that I did to help me concentrate on the court at all. I continued to wear it because I felt comfortable and I didn't want to re-injure it. It was a decision I made to be safe while I'm on the court playing."