IMPORTANCEThere is limited research investigating injury and illness among professional basketball players during their rookie season. By improving the understanding of injury incidence and risk specific to rookie players, sports medicine clinicians may be able to further individualize injury mitigation programs that address the unique needs of rookie players. OBJECTIVE To compare incidence and rate ratio (RR) of injury and illness among professional National Basketball Association (NBA) players in their rookie season with veteran players and to explore the association of sustaining an injury rookie season with career longevity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective cohort study used an online data repository and extracted publicly available data about NBA players between the 2007 and 2008 season to the 2018 and 2019 season. Available data for initial injury and all subsequent injuries were extracted during this time frame. EXPOSURES Injury and illness based on injury status during the rookie season of professional NBA players. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Injury and illness incidence and RR. Association of injury during the rookie season with career longevity was assessed via Poisson regressions. RESULTSOf the 12 basketball seasons analyzed, 904 NBA players were included (mean [SD] age, 24.6 [3.9] years; body mass index, 24.8 [1.8]). The injury and illness incidence for rookie players was 14.28 per 1000 athlete game exposures (AGEs). Among all body regions, ankle injuries had the greatest injury incidence among players injured during their rookie season (3.17 [95% CI, per 1000 AGEs). Rookie athletes demonstrated higher RR compared with veterans across multiple

Background Flourishing is a multi-dimensional construct that encompasses physical, psychological and social well-being. A proposed positive attribute of flourishing is resilience, which is the ability to bounce back despite the presence of stressors. A common stressor among athletes is overuse injuries, which may negatively affect well-being. Objective To examine the relationships of resilience and overuse injury with flourishing in collegiate athletes. Materials and methods 253 college athletes participated. The Flourishing Scale, Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) were administered via online questionnaire. For OSTRC scores, athletes were classified into injury and participation status groups. For BRS scores, athletes were classified into low resilience (LR), normal resilience (NR), and high resilience (HR) groups. Results Median flourishing score was 50.0 (46.5–53.5); mean BRS score was 21.6 (SD 4.3). Overuse injury and substantial overuse injury incidence proportion (IP) were 25.4 (95% CI: 20.3, 30.5) and 9.1 (95% CI: 7.0, 11.2). The IP for participants unable to play was 15.1 (95% CI: 12.9, 17.2). Significant differences were found in flourishing among resilience groups (p = 0.002) but not among overuse injury groups (p = 0.140) or participation variables (p = 0.205). Conclusion College athletes demonstrated high flourishing scores. Flourishing demonstrated a significant relationship with resilience across all groups but not among overuse injury or participation status. This finding indicates that college athlete well-being is strongly associated with resilience. Future longitudinal studies are needed to determine if resilience can be modified to positively influence athlete well-being.

Background Overuse injury is a common stressor experienced by female collegiate athletes and is often underreported. In response, athletes may develop negative coping skills such as substance use. Alternatively, resilience is a modifiable trait that may positively influence response to musculoskeletal injuries and substance use. Purpose To provide an updated epidemiological profile of overuse injury and substance use and examine the relationship between resilience, overuse injury, and substance use among collegiate female athletes. Design Cross-sectional study Methods Two-hundred and thirty female collegiate athletes were classified into overuse injury and resilience groups. Overuse injury, pain, and substance use incidence proportions (IP) were calculated. Kruskal-Wallis analyses were performed to investigate differences in substance use among resilience groups. Analyses of covariance were performed to evaluate differences in overuse injuries, substantial overuse injuries, and time loss injuries, among resilience groups. Results IP for pain was 45.0% (95% CI: 38.2-51.9); Overuse injury 52.0% (45.1-58.9); Alcohol use 35.1% (28.6-41.6); Electronic cigarette use 19.5% (14.6-24.9); Cigarette use 2.8% (6-5.1); and Drug use 3.3% (0.9-5.8). No significant differences were found between resilience groups for the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC) variables (Pain: p=0.102; Overuse injury: p=0.331; Substantial overuse injury: p=0.084; Not playing: p=0.058), alcohol (p=0.723), or combined substance use (p=0.069). Conclusions Pain and overuse injury prevalence is high among female collegiate athletes. Alcohol followed by electronic cigarette use were the most commonly utilized substances. No significant differences were identified in substance use or overuse injury presentation between resilience groups, though further investigation is warranted. Level of Evidence 3

The purpose of this study was to compare basketball performance markers one year prior to initial severe lower extremity injury, including ankle, knee, and hip injuries, to one- and two-years following injury during the regular NBA season. Publicly available data were extracted through a reproducible extraction computed programmed process. Eligible participants were NBA players with at least three seasons played between 2008 and 2019, with a time-loss injury reported during the study period. Basketball performance was evaluated for season minutes, points, and rebounds. Prevalence of return to performance and linear regressions were calculated. 285 athletes sustained a severe lower extremity injury. 196 (69%) played one year and 130 (45%) played two years following the injury. Time to return to sport was similar between groin/hip/thigh [227 (88)], knee [260 (160)], or ankle [260 (77)] (P = 0.289). 58 (30%) players participated in a similar number of games and 57 (29%) scored similar points one year following injury. 48 (37%) participated in a similar number of games and 55 (42%) scored a similar number of points two years following injury. Less than half of basketball players that suffered a severe lower extremity injury were participating at the NBA level two years following injury, with similar findings for groin/hip/thigh, knee, and ankle injuries. Less than half of players were performing at previous pre-injury levels two years following injury. Suffering a severe lower extremity injury may be a prognostic factor that can assist sports medicine professionals to educate and set performance expectations for NBA players.

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