There’s an anecdote in Henry Abbott’s new book about the tricky business of NBA injury prevention that underlines one of the cruel truths of the sports business.
Abbott, the U.S. basketball writer, was at a private dinner at the 2014 Sloan Sports Conference held by David Heller, a minority owner of the Philadelphia 76ers. A few dozen attendees were present for what turned into an around-the-table chat about NBA player health. When the conversation was steered toward Abbott, he said something about his hope that the league wouldn’t “break Derrick Rose.” Rose, the explosive Chicago Bulls guard who had been the NBA’s most valuable player in 2010-11, was at the time rehabbing one of a series of knee injuries that would curtail his prime. Then another guest piped up.
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