Performance After Concussion in National Basketball Association Players

Abstract

Background: Concussions have received national attention in collision sports such as football, soccer, and hockey, but less focus has been placed on basketball. Purpose: To determine return-to-play (RTP) and player performance in the first and second season after concussion in National Basketball Association (NBA) players. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: An online database of publicly available NBA athlete injuries was queried for instances of “concussion” between 2010 and 2018. The age at injury, team, position, height, weight, body mass index, NBA experience, date of concussion, date of return, and seasons played postconcussion was recorded for each player. Regular-season statistics (games started, games played, minutes played, and player efficiency rating [PER]) were compiled for the season before, and 2 seasons immediately after, injury. Kaplan-Meier survivorship plots were computed for athlete RTP and retirement endpoints. Results: A total of 81 injuries were identified from 2010 to 2018, with a rate of 2.0 concussions per 100 player-years. Overall RTP was 100% after concussion, with nearly all (88%) returning in the season of injury; 12% of players experienced a season-ending concussion. RTP averaged 37.3 days after injury, varying widely (range, 2-291 days). Compared with preinjury season (78.0%), athletes played in significantly fewer overall games in the season of injury (36.6%; P