Is the Modern NBA Breaking Its Stars?
The NBA is in the midst of a leg plague, with a growing number of players missing a growing number of games due to lower-body soft-tissue injuries. This trend is not unique to the NBA; other professional sports leagues, such as the NFL and tennis, are also dealing with a rash of lower-body injuries. The rise of one-footed moves, such as the stepback 3 and the Euro-step, is being blamed for the increase in calf and hamstring issues. These moves require rapid changes of speed and direction, putting immense strain on the muscles, particularly the calf. The NBA is demanding that larger and longer players add these moves to their repertoires, which is amplifying the risk of injury. The data supports this trend, with the number of calf injuries increasing from 18 in the 2010-11 season to 86 this season. The NBA has a choice: it can cut down on the number of games, make games shorter, and/or add more rest in between them. However, this would pit revenue against player wellness, and in a league increasingly driven by billionaires and tycoons, that's probably not great news for hamstrings and calves. The NBA needs to decelerate and pivot soon, or it's going to get hurt.
