Orlando Magic say they'll grow beards until playoff run ends

Fear the beard?

At the urging of small forward Quentin Richardson, the Orlando Magic have taken a cue from the world of hockey and said they've decided not to shave their faces until their playoff run ends, whenever that may be.

"It's one of those team things," Richardson said. "Togetherness. It's something fun at the same time. It's going to definitely look funny, I know."

The players said they collectively made the decision between Monday's victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Wednesday's win over the New York Knicks.

"We talked about doing something as a team," center Dwight Howard said.

"We thought about the bald heads, but some of us — myself — don't look right with a bald head. Then we thought about letting our hair grow out; then [we realized] we've got a lot of guys who are going bald, so [it would] look funny with just patches in their head.

"So the beard is the only way to go. It'll be tough for me and the young guys to really get it going, but we're all in this together."

Growing beards is a tradition in hockey, with players from the eventual Stanley Cup champions often hoisting the coveted trophy with ragged facial hair.

Rather than wait until the NBA playoffs start in mid-April, Richardson has started growing his beard with three weeks remaining in their regular season. Other players say they've doing the same.