Among the many innovations by the National Basketball Players’ Association has been an initiative for heart screening. Backed by Michele Roberts and Chris Paul, the program provides medical attention to retired players at risk for heart disease.
According to Jared Zwerling, the initiative has now reached five cities and tested more than 100 retired players since its inception last year.
The initiative was taken after several former players, including Daryl Dawkins and Moses Malone, passed away from heart disease. In fact, despite being more healthy than the average male at the same age, NBA players seem to be just at risk for heart disease. That is crucial as heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States.
Joe Rogowski, the NBPA’s Director of Sports Medicine and Research had the following to say:
“What we envisioned with the program is to make it a customized concierge service for retired players,” said Joe Rogowski, the NBPA’s director of sports medicine and research. “We can perform the screening in an hour’s time frame, so it really expedites the whole process from that standpoint. And the other added benefit is that our standard of care is the same from city to city, so we have the same staff of experts and specialists that travel to do this testing.”
“This program is a first step in retired players’ health assessment,” said Rogowski, who was previously the director of science and research for the Rockets, and the head strength and conditioning coach for the Magic. “The main reason behind this is to get them to acknowledge their health, find a cardiologist in their area and build a rapport with him. And then from there, now they have a cardiologist they’re familiar with. It may have been something difficult to do on their own without our guidance. Now, we’re helping to bridge the gap for them and make it accessible. The players have been very appreciative of what we’ve done.”
The NBPA is looking to expand this program after its initial success. With its help, more players can hopefully protect themselves from heart disease.
