IIRC, Malone had to justify wearing the wristbands to Sloan. He told Jerry that the wristbands kept the sweat away from his hands and gave him a better handle on the ball. Sloan conceded. But the team philosophy has always been that all team members will wear the same uniform, down to the shoes and socks. I remember when Ostertag wanted to wear black shoes and had the team put it to a vote, but Stockton/Malone overrode it because they didn't want to wear black shoes.