Detroit Pistons star Richard Hamilton wasn't the first player to wear a mask in the NBA but sometimes it feels like he was.

Newsweek caught up with Rip this week to talk about his mask-wearing days and to see if he had any words of wisdom for Joel Embiid. Hamilton first wore a mask for breaking his nose, but he continued to wear it for the remainder of his career.

Embiid made his first playoff appearance of his career last night in Miami while rocking a new mask complete with a custom visor to protect his eyes. It was clearly bothering him but he didn't let it dictate his play.

“It was difficult,” Embiid said of the mask. “But to me it wasn’t really about getting used to it because at the end of the day, no matter how much it bothers me, I’ve still got to be a basketball player."

Hamilton has famously said that he embraced the mask to the point of it becoming his "Batman cape" which allowed him to be more aggresive.

"Over a period of time I started to get used to it. As basketball players, a lot of times you go to the basket and it’s a lot of elbows being thrown, guys are getting poked in the eye," he told Newsweek this week. "You tend to clench up because you don’t want to get hit in the face. Once I started wearing that mask I wasn’t clenching up no more. I was willing to take contact more. I was able to get to the free throw line more because now I’m not scared of getting hit in the face. It kind of made me into a more aggressive and better basketball player."

Hamilton's message to Embiid prior to the series?

"Embrace it. Make it cool. Make it fun. Make it like a prop. Don’t get caught up in saying like, 'I got a piece of plastic on my face. I’m worrying about how I look, I’m worrying about my perception when I shoot.' When you’re out there in, like, shooting drills, don’t be so caught up in putting the mask on and trying to worry about how you shoot with it on. Put it on in the game and just wear it because our game is a non-thinking sport. React. You gotta read and react as quick as possible. The less thinking you do, the better you’ll be."

Rip also took notice of Embiid's frustration with the mask following the game. He encouraged Jo that it only gets easier.

I’ve thrown my mask off numerous times lil bro @joelembiid ...It will get more comfortable game by game ..Trust The Process. #MaskOnMaskOff#YouGotTheJuiceNow #Holdat #Yessir#Mask #TnT #nba #nbaplayoffs #sixers#sixersvsheat #LoveThisGame

I’ve thrown my mask off numerous times lil bro @joelembiid ...It will get more comfortable game by game ..Trust The Process. #MaskOnMaskOff #YouGotTheJuiceNow #Holdat #Yessir #Mask #TnT #nba #nbaplayoffs #sixers #sixersvsheat #LoveThisGame

A post shared by Richard Hamilton (@ripcity3232) on Apr 20, 2018 at 8:20am PDT

The Eagles don’t hit the practice field as a team for another five weeks, yet each year coaches point to players who distinguish themselves during the months of April and May. These are the players with the most to gain in phases one and two of OTAs.

There isn’t an unheralded prospect in better position to climb the Eagles’ depth chart this spring than Tre Sullivan.

Never mind the fact that vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas just got done lauding Sullivan’s performance in a pre-draft interview on Thursday. The 24-year-old also happens to be one of only four safeties on the Eagles roster for the time being, creating a huge opportunity for an undrafted free agent from Shepherd College.

Competition will come soon enough, as safety is an obvious target for the Eagles in the upcoming draft. Even then, Sullivan could find himself in the mix for a big role with a good spring.

Last season, Corey Graham was the Eagles’ third safety behind Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. Graham, a free agent departure, wound up playing nearly 40 percent of the team’s snaps.

This isn’t merely a backup job. There’s serious playing time at stake – and Sullivan can get a jump on the competition.

Sullivan made a name for himself in last year’s preseason opener against the Packers with a vicious hit on wide receiver Malachi Dupre. It was a scary moment, as Dupre was knocked out by the collision, but also a clean play and an example of the defensive back’s physicality.

Sullivan forced a fumble on the hit and finished with four tackles. He would go on to acquit himself well in three other preseason games, eventually landing on the Eagles’ practice squad.

Listed at 6-foot-0, 200 pounds, Sullivan is a relatively average size for a safety, but plays downhill and hits like a truck.

The Eagles liked the instincts and aggressiveness they saw on the field. Now, Sullivan has a chance to work out and learn from coaches in an environment where there really aren’t any other young players right now and he can be the focus of a lot of attention. Phases one and two of OTAs and the two weeks before the draft in particular could be a pivotal period.

If Sullivan impresses during these early stages, it could go a long way toward solidifying his place with the team.

Even if Sullivan is bested for the third safety spot, he could still wind up on the 53-man roster. The Eagles may opt to carry five since Chris Maragos primarily plays on special teams.

Sullivan will likely enter training camp as a player who’s considered to be on the bubble, and what he does when the pads go on will be most important. However, if he showed up and really nailed these workouts, that could go a long way toward how the team views him heading into this summer.

Dwyane Wade torched the Sixers in Game 2 in Philadelphia on Monday.

Following the big win, Wade said it was comedian Kevin Hart sitting courtside that helped motivate him.

The two took to Twitter to continue their trash talk where Wade pointed out that Hart couldn't be in Miami for Game 3.

That didn't stop Hart from making his presence felt down in Florida. Hart had an airplane fly a message, "Kevin Hart was here," along with a trust the process and Mountain Dew hashtag.

pic.twitter.com/ACiQ53OCLa

— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) April 19, 2018

Here's what Hart had to say about it on his Instagram:

Even tho I didn't make it to Miami I felt the need to make my presence felt....Swipe thru my pictures and look at the banner that I had flown across American Airlines Arena....I just wanted to let @dwyanewade know that I'm everywhere 😂😂😂😂 Let’s goooooooo SIXERS!!!!!! Major thank you to my @mountaindew family for helping me pull this off last minute!!!!! #Philadelphia #Playoffs#MountainDewKickStart #TrustTheProcess... that’s what #TTP Means just in case u didn’t know!!!!!!

Did the sky message spook Wade? The Heat legend got off to a slow first half, shooting 0 for 4 from the field with a couple of free throws, but his Heat held a one-point lead at halftime.

Expect Hart to keep the chatter going throughout the series and beyond. That guy likes to talk.

Even tho I didn't make it to Miami I felt the need to make my presence felt....Swipe thru my pictures and look at the banner that I had flown across American Airlines Arena....I just wanted to let @dwyanewade know that I'm everywhere 😂😂😂😂 Let’s goooooooo SIXERS!!!!!! Major thank you to my @mountaindew family for helping me pull this off last minute!!!!! #Philadelphia #Playoffs #MountainDewKickStart #TrustTheProcess ... that’s what #TTP Means just in case u didn’t know!!!!!!

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Apr 19, 2018 at 5:00pm PDT