HSS sports medicine surgeon and medical consultant for the NBPA Benedict Nwachukwu, MD, MBA, discusses his day-to-day duties to provide care for teams and players in the NBA bubble.

“This is truly a once in a lifetime experience,” said Dr. Nwachukwu. “I think it’s great from a physician standpoint because it really helps me focus on the player’s health and I’m in constant communication with the teams. You’re in the hotel with the teams and the trainers have immediate access to you, which is terrific.”

Each morning Dr. Nwachukwu joins a call with all of the physicians and anyone involved with player health inside the bubble. The topics range from COVID testing status, medical issues with players and staff to any issues with game coverage. After the call, he might be contacted to evaluate a player before or after practice. Since he is involved with helping coordinate MRI’s, Dr. Nwachukwu also helps escort the players to receive them. Dr. Nwachukwu’s duties also involve checking on players after games to make sure there are no health issues. 

“When you’re in the bubble, you’re completely focused on your job because there really is no outside distractions,” he explained. “You’re really able to provide attentive medical care, which has been an incredible experience for me because it makes the lines of communication that much easier.”

Read the full article at Forbes.com.

Additional coverage: Columbia Athletics The Roarcast podcast, Muscleandfitness.com