NBA Responds to Study That Relates Heavy Workloads to Achilles Injuries

A recent study conducted by doctors and researchers published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine found a link between an increase in minutes and Achilles tears among NBA players, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

"Significant workload spikes were found in the 10 to 15 games preceding Achilles ruptures for NBA players," the paper noted. "Veteran players carried heavier cumulative workloads, whereas younger players ruptured tendons under lighter use."

The NBA said its own studies contradicted those findings, however.

"Over the past year, we have worked to better understand Achilles tendon injuries through a tendon health working group and additional research," the NBA's Director of Sports Medicine Dr. John DiFiori said in a statement. "While we welcome continued learnings, we believe the recent paper on this topic has important methodological limitations. Our own extensive review of league data to date, conducted with independent epidemiologists and consultants, spanned the 2012-13 season to the present and found no relationship between Achilles tendon injuries and minutes played before injury. We remain committed to advancing research that informs player health, performance, and injury prevention."

The NBA had seven Achilles tears in the 2024-25 season, with Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton the most high-profile of the bunch. Last season just one player—Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo—suffered such an injury. Before the 2024-25 season, the NBA had never had more than four Achilles tears in a single campaign.