Game 6 Photos Show LeBron James Had a Hair Transplant

Photo by Bauman Medical's Felipe Reynoso

Photo by Bauman Medical's Felipe Reynoso

It's been rumored for some time that the Miami Heat's LeBron James underwent a hair transplant - but these photos, taken at Game 6 of the NBA Finals in the American Airlines Arena by Bauman Medical Group surgical technician Felipe Reynoso, show strong evidence that LeBron has undergone hair transplantation. 

This is one of the rare times LeBron has appeared on court without his customary headband.

If you look at the two photos above, you'll see a large linear horizontal scar around the back of the scalp. From this vantage point, the long scar was easily visible from behind and from the right - approximately 4 mm in width. This is a tell-tale sign of a linear or "strip" harvest from a hair transplant surgery. Strip harvesting is an older method (some would say "outdated" too) of performing a hair transplant, in which a long linear strip is removed from the back of the scalp and then the follicles are dissected from this tissue sample and implanted into the bald areas of the scalp. 

It's not entirely clear how long ago the procedure was performed, although I'd venture to say it's probably over a year old. It's also unclear why LeBron would have opted for this older hair transplant method - when a more advanced procedure known as NeoGraft FUE (no scalpel/no stitch) is now widely available and doesn't leave a linear scar, since the follicular units are harvested individually. UK footballer Wayne Rooney made his FUE-style hair transplant famous by tweeting out his post-op pictures and announced his recent "top-up" procedure, which LeBron might also be in need of, judging from the still-receded hairline.

LeBron's case is similar to Jeremy Piven, who was spotted with a long linear 'strip harvest' scar at the back of the head in 2010.