(Ep016) What Damian Lillard and LeBron James’s Injuries Tell us About Avoiding Sports Hernias and Ab Strains, and How to Train Your Core More Safely and Effectively

Written By Phil White

After struggling with an abdominal injury since before he helped Team USA win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Damian Lillard had season-ending surgery. LeBron James has missed multiple games with an ab strain this season, and other players have battled sports hernias. We all know that you need a strong core in basketball to transfer power from your lower body and preserve stability during contact, but these types of injuries seem to be increasingly common in the pros and even among college and high school players. 

While with the Lakers, Basketball Strong co-host saw first hand how to responsibly integrate core training into the regimens of All-Stars, NBA champions, and rookies alike. In this episode, he shares: 

  • A simple guide to the anatomy of the abdominal region

  • Reasons that Dame, LeBron and other players might have become injured 

  • Why the longer torsos of basketball players and tall athletes can complicate core work

  • More sustainable ways to train your trunk 

  • What to do if you have an ab strain or think a sports hernia might be developing

Phil White
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