COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (May 8, 2024) – USA Basketball, the national governing body for the sport of basketball in the United States, and UCLA Health, a world-class health care system, today announced a multi-year partnership establishing UCLA Health as the Official Team Physicians of USA Basketball.
The partnership is centered around UCLA Health providing first-class Orthopaedic and Sports medical care to USA Basketball’s roster of talent, helping ensure its players are physically fit to compete. UCLA Health will provide physician coverage for the men’s and women’s basketball national teams at the next two Olympic Games, FIBA Basketball World Cups and training camps, as well as providing resources and support for the USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s Junior National Team program.
“Partnering with UCLA Health will enable USA Basketball to provide best-in-class medical coverage for our athletes,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “Together with UCLA Health, we will support our athletes as they perform on the world’s largest stages.”
"We are thrilled to join USA Basketball as their official team physicians,” said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System. “As a leader in health care with local, national and international reach, our experts aim to ensure that the teams have the support they need to achieve success at the highest level of competition.”
In addition, UCLA Health will support young athletes and leaders by partnering with USA Basketball’s Women in the Game initiative, which educates high school girls, college women and young professionals about career paths in the sports industry and how to turn passion into opportunity.
"We're honored to extend our Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine expertise to support USA Basketball,” said Nicholas Bernthal, MD, chair and executive medical director of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA Health. “Our experience with top professional and collegiate athletes in Los Angeles, including the Lakers, Dodgers, Sparks and UCLA Athletics, makes us primed to help USA Basketball optimize their performance on the global stage. We look forward to both providing best in class clinical care and partnering to innovate in sports science to develop tomorrow’s treatments.”
About UCLA Health
UCLA Health is among the world’s most comprehensive and advanced health care systems, with a mission to provide state-of-the-art patient care, support pioneering research and train future generations of health care professionals. UCLA Health offers an integrated network of primary and specialty care services at more than 280 clinics across Southern California and the Central Coast and at five medical centers and hospitals – Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and UCLA West Valley Medical Center. For 34 consecutive years, UCLA Health hospitals have earned a place on the U.S. News & World Report national honor roll, a distinction reserved for the relative few providing the highest-quality care across multiple medical specialties. UCLA Health also includes the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. UCLA Health is where discovery leads to world-class care. Visit uclahealth.org.
About USA Basketball
Basketball, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, is the National Governing Body for the sport of basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection and training of USA teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored basketball competitions and select national events, and for the development of youth basketball initiatives addressing player development, coach education and safety. To learn more, click here.