It is no secret that playing in a professional sport leads to injuries. Even playing in Esports can lead to injuries such as wrist sprains, dislocated fingers and neck and back pain. But one sport in particular seems to have the most injuries: the NBA. The extensive season and physical gameplay lets players get injured every single game and it seems like nothing is being done to combat it. 

The NBA is no stranger to injuries. Ever since the physical game of the 1980s was introduced, injuries seem like they have been getting everyone in their grasp. Even today when it seems like defenses are restricted to playing air tag, injuries are more frequent now than ever. Some notable injuries in recent days include Nikola Jokic (recently active since being out with a knee bone bruise), Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard all out with a form of ACL injury. 

Injuries have been noticeable with three teams in particular: The Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Charlotte Hornets, each having more than five players out with injuries as of recent.

Now the question every NBA fan is wondering is “why?”

The truth is, there isn’t a singular cause to this issue. It seems as though offense is more lenient than defense when it comes to the referees. With some players averaging upwards of eight free throws attempted (FTA) per game with the current leader, Luka Doncic at 11.15 FTA. With the amount of whistles per game it should seem like injuries should be even less prominent, but that is not the case. A trend that is noticeable within the NBA is that the longer these people play in the NBA the more often they get injured. This is seen in many players like Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Lebron James and Coby White.

Now the question is, what can the NBA do to fix it?

First, and arguably most obvious, is to shorten the NBA season. The 82 game season often has players flying all over the U.S. with sometimes having more than six games a week. The wear and tear on these athletes is nothing to joke about, just look at Anthony Davis playing only 20 of the 54 games for the Dallas Mavericks this season.

Another issue is spacing between games. Teams are often allowed one day between games before they have to fly to another state to play again. This simply isn’t enough time between games especially considering the vigorous play the league comes with. 

A recent addition they have made is they changed what is called a “foul on a jump shot.” Previously the defender could not land in the shooter’s landing space, but recently they added the restriction of the defender from being able to hit or make contact with the shooter’s hand.

It is a good start for the NBA but frankly, it is not enough. These players are just like us and deserve to be treated as people, and not just a business opportunity. Even though the NBA is supposed to be a business it does not mean we can not take these players’ health into consideration.