Addressing one of the most alarming injury trends in recent NBA history, Commissioner Adam Silver has announced a high-tech initiative aimed at combating the rise in Achilles tendon injuries. The plan centers around the use of artificial intelligence to analyze player movement and detect early warning signs—marking a new era in sports injury prevention.
The 2024–25 NBA season saw a record-breaking seven Achilles ruptures, including devastating blows to stars like Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton during the playoffs. For context, only 45 such injuries were recorded across the previous 32 seasons combined. The sudden spike has raised red flags across the league, prompting urgent action from the NBA’s top brass.
Silver revealed that the league has already convened a panel of medical and performance experts to investigate the trend. But the centerpiece of the plan is the integration of artificial intelligence. By ingesting video footage of every game a player has participated in, AI systems will search for biomechanical patterns or movement anomalies that may precede an Achilles injury.
“We had seven [Achilles ruptures] this year and zero last year under the same circumstances,” Silver said. “The ability with AI to ingest all video of every game a player’s played in—to see if we can detect some pattern—that’s where we’re headed”.
“We’ve already convened a panel of experts. We had 7 this year [and] 0 last year… the ability with AI to ingest all video of every game a player’s played in to see if we can detect some pattern.”
Adam Silver on how they’ll address Achilles injuries.pic.twitter.com/zzPRs3abhH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 25, 2025
While some have blamed the NBA’s grueling schedule or the rise of low-top sneakers, Silver noted that most Achilles injuries in recent years occurred before the All-Star break, challenging the assumption that season length is the primary culprit. Experts also point to year-round basketball and early sports specialization as contributing factors to players breaking down at younger ages.
The NBA’s embrace of AI reflects a broader trend in sports science, where data-driven insights are increasingly used to manage workloads, predict injuries, and extend careers. If successful, this initiative could become a model for other leagues grappling with similar injury epidemics.
