The National Basketball Players Association

and Hospital for Special Surgery

Team Up to Score Health Care Win for Players

World-Class Athletes Meet World-Class Musculoskeletal Care

NEW YORK, March 21, 2019 – The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has selected Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) as the Official Hospital of the NBPA.  The new multi-year partnership provides current and retired professional basketball players with access to high quality preventative, surgical, rehabilitative, performance, and consulting services. HSS will also be named a Founding Partner of the NBPA’s state-of-the-art training facility that serves athletes at all levels.

“Player health is critical to our members’ ability to achieve and sustain success on the court,“ said NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts. “This partnership will complement the work of NBPA Director of Sports Medicine & Research Joe Rogowski and his team by ensuring that our players receive access to the best in orthopedic care. We look forward to working with HSS and welcome Dr. Kelly and his colleagues to the NBPA.”

“Quality of life, both on and off the court, is predicated on receiving trustworthy, comprehensive and timely medical advice,” said Dr. Bryan Kelly, Chief of HSS Sports Medicine. “It is our privilege to work closely with the NBPA and their medical and training staff to keep every player both healthy and safe.”

HSS Sports Medicine Institute physicians will provide orthopedic consultation services at NBPA Retiree Health Screenings. Additionally, over the course of the year, HSS will provide educational and health information at all NBPA Youth Clinics and Agent Seminars.

HSS Sports Medicine Institute boasts a team of physicians dedicated to treating athletic injuries of the musculoskeletal system that fields more than 95,000 patient visits each year and perform more than 10,000 surgeries. HSS physicians serve as team physicians and athletic trainers for more than 30 professional and college teams and organizations.

The NBPA’s training facility, designed specifically for high performance athletes, is home to a 65-foot practice court, professional-grade locker room, and full-service workout facility that includes a hot tub, cold tub and HyrdroWorx underwater treadmill.

About the NBPA

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA’s mission is to ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected and that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals — on and off the court.

The NBPA advocates on behalf of the best interests of all NBA players, including the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the filing of grievances on behalf of the players, or counseling players on benefits, educational and post-NBA career opportunities.

In addition, the NBPA provides a forum for players to participate in union activities – including executive leadership roles, team representative positions and global community outreach initiatives. The NBPA offers each NBA player the opportunity to get involved in the democratic institution that was created for, continues to exist for and is run by them.

About HSS

Hospital for Special Surgery HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the ninth consecutive year) and No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S.News & World Report (2018-2019). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In addition, HSS will be opening a new facility in Florida in late 2019. In 2018, HSS provided care to 139,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures, and people from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is the world’s leading provider of education on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.

Media Contact:

Tracy Hickenbottom / Monique Irons

Hospital for Special Surgery

Mediarelations@HSS.edu

212-606-1197

Elle Hagedorn / Kiran Prakash

National Basketball Players Association

Communications@NBPA.com

212-655-0896

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