Description

This presentation introduces a practical framework for understanding and applying eccentric training in sport performance and rehabilitation. Rather than viewing eccentrics as simply “slow lowering,” this lecture breaks eccentric training into three primary buckets. Coaches will learn the science behind eccentric adaptations, explore eight key eccentric training methods, and understand how intent changes the adaptation of the same exercise. The session combines physiology, biomechanics, programming concepts, and real-world coaching applications to help practitioners better organize eccentric training for strength, speed, tendon adaptation, deceleration, and reactive performance. The accompanying practical session allows attendees to experience and coach each eccentric strategy firsthand.

Description

Following the first full season of league-wide implementation of the biomechanics program, this panel will explore biomechanics in the NBA, including key successes and challenges in scaling the assessment program, how teams and partners are utilizing biomechanical insights, and opportunities to further integrate biomechanics data into multidisciplinary player care and decision-making.

Description

Vitamin D deficiency is widespread across the globe due to limited sunlight exposure associated with the modern indoor lifestyle. Athletes may be particularly vulnerable during periods of reduced sun exposure, indoor training, extensive travel and winter competition schedules. Given the recognised role of vitamin D in skeletal muscle function, immune health, recovery and bone metabolism, low vitamin D concentrations may therefore have important implications for athlete health and performance.

Whilst total serum 25[OH]D remains the most widely used marker of vitamin D status, there is growing debate regarding how these measures should be interpreted in ethnically diverse populations. In particular, athletes of Black African ancestry often present with lower total 25[OH]D concentrations compared with Caucasian athletes, despite frequently maintaining good bone health and calcium homeostasis. This has led to important questions surrounding the interpretation of vitamin D biomarkers, the potential limitations of universal deficiency thresholds, and the risk of over-supplementation when blood results are interpreted without sufficient physiological context.

This presentation will provide an overview of the vitamin D system, examine the prevalence and consequences of low vitamin D status in athletes, and explore the current evidence relating to ethnicity, vitamin D metabolism and calcium regulation. Particular attention will be given to the limitations of relying solely on total 25[OH]D concentrations when assessing vitamin D status in Black athletes. Finally, practical considerations surrounding testing, interpretation of blood biomarkers, supplementation strategies and athlete support within elite sport environments will be discussed.

Description

Ankle sprains remain one of the most common and impactful injuries in professional basketball, affecting player availability, performance continuity, and long-term joint health. The Ankle Sprain Initiative was developed to address this challenge through coordinated, interdisciplinary research and translation efforts that bridge biomechanics, training and development, injury prevention, and intellectual property considerations. This panel session introduces the Ankle Sprain Initiative’s purpose, structure, and ideation-to-translation framework, followed by highlights from two completed project streams. The first section focuses on work by the Biomechanics Working Group examining footwear mechanical properties. The second project highlight centers on a league-wide team survey developed through the Treatment and Diagnostics (T&D) and Injury Prevention (IP) Working Groups. This segment will review survey methodology, key findings from both developmental and prevention perspectives, and how teams might leverage this information to guide policy, education, or intervention strategies. Presenters will outline the rationale, research questions, and testing approaches used as well as key take-home findings. Panelists will also discuss limitations of the current data and ongoing or planned projects intended to address outstanding needs. The session concludes with an audience-driven discussion to identify what teams are seeking next and how the Ankle Sprain Initiative can continue to evolve to deliver actionable, practice-relevant insights.

Description

Behind every elite performance is a coordinated system of professionals operating behind the scenes—the “team behind the team.” In the NBA, health and performance outcomes depend not only on individual expertise, but on how effectively physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, strength coaches, dietitians, and mental health clinicians function as an integrated unit. This panel will explore the essential components of building and sustaining a high-functioning health and performance team, with emphasis on team structure, role clarity, collaboration, conflict management, and decision-making in time-sensitive, high-stakes environments. Through examples and interdisciplinary perspectives, panelists will provide attendees with an actionable framework to improve communication, align roles, and enhance decision-making processes to optimize athlete health, availability, and performance.

Description

Load, regulation, and readiness are frequently described with a focus on the physical components of these concepts. However, it is also important to consider relevant cognitive and emotional elements as these factors directly impact health, functioning, and performance. In this session the presenter will discuss cognitive load, emotional regulation, and psychological readiness. In addition to defining these concepts and highlighting their connection to performance, relevant strategies for attending to each of these dimensions will be discussed.

Description

The explosive rise in availability and normalization of sports betting has led to dramatic consequences to athlete health and wellbeing on and off-the court. This panel will feature a detailed discussion focused on understanding the changing landscape of sports gambling and the remarkable effect it has made on the game, on players, coaches, arena security and league staff. Fan behavior and safety considerations specifically related to dealing with online harassment and strategies for ensuring safety for players and for their families will also be discussed.