Player Safety in the NBA: What the 2020 Season Taught Us About Injury Prevention

Let's talk about the 2020 NBA season.

Thanks to our arch-nemesis, "The Rona," we all know it was weird. But did you know that the condensed season might have had the opposite effect on player safety?

A group of researchers conducted a study to evaluate the impact of the 2020 NBA season on player safety. First, they analyzed a public database of injuries that caused players to miss at least one game between 2015 and 2020. Next, they calculated injury rates per 1000 game exposures (GEs) and compared the overall injury proportion ratio (IPR) between the 2020 and previous seasons.

In other words, they crunched the numbers to see if the condensed season led to more injuries.

And what did they find?

First, even when they excluded COVID-19-related absences, the overall injury rate in 2020 was significantly greater than from 2015 to 2018.

Yikes.

The most notable increases in injury rates were minor injuries requiring only a 1-game absence and in players aged 25 to 29 years, averaging ≥30.0 minutes per game and playing the point guard position.

This concerns me.

Sure, the most notable injuries were minor, but as they say, "once bitten, twice shy." So the more players get hurt, even if it's just a little, the more likely they will get hurt again.

And let's face it; basketball is a high-octane sport, and injuries are bound to happen, especially as players get more games under their belt.

We can take steps to prepare our bodies and minds to minimize the risk of injury and decrease the severity and recovery time when it does happen.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The 2020 NBA season may have been a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime event regarding player safety. But with proper preparation and caution, we can keep our athletes on the court and playing at their best.