“An epidemic” of early-career injuries has swept the NBA as Gen Z kids start training harder and younger than ever.

“An epidemic” of early-career injuries has swept the NBA as Gen Z kids start training harder and younger than ever. Today’s promising players start as young as 7 and could play more than 1,000 organized games (not counting practices) by the time they’re 19—that’s more than 12 NBA seasons’ worth. Now, the NBA is seeing an uptick in injured players missing games in their first two seasons, while sports doctors have noticed a rise in young people with serious injuries like ACL tears. One expert explains, “Kids are broken by the time they get to college.” (ESPN)