If you have the time to read this study, please do so and educate yourselves.
Ankle-Dorsiflexion Range of Motion and Landing Biomechanics (nih.gov)
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury typically occurs during athletic participation via a noncontact mechanism involving planting, pivoting, or landing (or a combination of these).1 A smaller amount of knee-flexion displacement, greater knee-valgus displacement, and greater vertical and posterior ground reaction forces during landing purportedly increase ACL loading and injury risk.2–,4 These biomechanical factors are interrelated, in that “stiff” landings characterized by an erect landing posture and less sagittal-plane displacement result in greater ground reaction forces than a more flexed landing posture.5,6 Similarly, greater ground reaction forces are associated with greater knee-valgus displacement and moment.2
While a study would have to be completed on the rise in ankle injuries and low-cut sneakers, and even shoe designers have talked about shoe design leading to the injuries that have plagued NBA athletes over the years, those factors are less important than leg strength, flexibility, improper landing and overuse. I wrote a post years ago explaining in detail why Derrick Rose’s All-Star career took a turn for the worse early in his career:
Let’s Put To Rest That “It’s The Shoes” When Athletes Get Injured Often –ARCH-USA
The primary point of the post was to show a video of his landings. Rose has since changed his style of play and is still in the NBA although he was injured this season. Had Rose continued to play with the explosiveness he exhibited early in his career, creating the type of force needed for a 6-2 guard to rise above everyone on the floor, while landing with improper technique, his career would have been over.
Last night Anthony Davis was injured again. There have been complaints about him wearing Kobe’s sneakers. Which doesn’t make any sense at all considering Kobe wore his own sneakers and more NBA players wear Kobes than any other signature sneaker, and we haven’t witnessed a rash of injuries of those players (Demar Derozan, Devin Booker, Ja Morant for example). A list of Kobe’s injuries shows his ankle injuries, but they don’t explain them. What is evident in the injuries is the time between these injuries:
Kobe had a 20-year career. He was an explosive player spending a lot of time off the floor elevating and dunking with power. According to the Ankle Dorsal report, injury was inevitable, but Kobe countered his injuries with an extreme focus on fitness and muscle building, with cross training. Many of Kobe’s ankle injuries happened because of landing on another player’s foot. There isn’t a shoe created that can prevent injury when this happens. Kobe was taller than Derrick Rose, a positive, but shorter than Anthony Davis (a negative for Davis) … which moves me back to Davis’ stature. Because Davis retained his agility from prior to his growth spurt, he is more athletic than many players his size.
Anthony Davis grew 8 inches in a year in high school. His playing style as a guard was quick and explosive. He continued playing excessive travel basketball and he never received body mechanic training. Davis also never really implemented extensive strength training and mobility into his workouts early. It wasn’t until he arrived to the New Orleans Pelicans that he increased his workout structure, but there is a telling side to this. In an article from Fitness Reaper:
Anthony Davis Workout Routine and Diet Plan – FitnessReaper.com
Davis gained 12 pounds of muscle after entering the NBA. That’s a big number, but factor in that he grew 8 inches in less than five years and there is a perfect storm of body trauma which could lead to continuous injuries and have. Footwear design is important, but I created this picture for a reason, and I’m reusing it again:
Check out this video discussion on the topic: A Video Discussion on Anthony Davis’ Injuries, Kobe Sneakers and Low-Cut Hoop Shoes – ARCH-USA