Is the Modern NBA Breaking Its Stars?
The NBA is currently facing a crisis of soft-tissue leg injuries, with a growing number of players missing a growing number of games. This trend is particularly concerning for superstar players like Luka Doncic, who has suffered multiple calf and hamstring injuries in recent years. The data supports this trend, with a significant increase in calf injuries over the past decade. The rise of one-footed moves like the stepback 3 and Euro-step is being blamed for this spike in injuries, as these moves require rapid changes of speed and direction that can put immense strain on the calf muscle.
The NBA is not alone in dealing with this issue. Other professional sports leagues, like the NFL and tennis, have also seen a rise in lower-body injuries. However, the NBA is in a unique position to address this problem, as it has the resources and influence to make changes to the schedule and gameplay that could help reduce the risk of injuries. The league could cut down on the number of games, make games shorter, and/or add more rest in between them. However, these solutions 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 has a choice here. It could adopt a shorter schedule, make games shorter, and/or add more rest in between them. But all of these solutions 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 owners can keep pretending that load management is a player character issue rather than a cry for relief. It showed its hand in 2023 when, instead of adopting a shorter schedule, it added a new in-season tournament that compressed it even more and inserted a 65-game rule that punishes athletes whose bodies break down amid the relentless grind of the most demanding basketball season on earth.
In the spring of 2026, the NBA is Euro-stepping its way to a tipping point, and unless it decelerates and pivots soon, it’s going to get hurt. The NBA needs to take action to address this issue, and it needs to do so soon. The health and well-being of its players should be a top priority, and the league has the power to make changes that could help reduce the risk of injuries and keep its stars on the court.
