NBA Study Confirms 'Load Management' Is Pointless

NBA load management is annoying, it's a rip-off for fans and — now we know — it's completely pointless.

The league released an analytical report to teams this week that found there is no correlation between the controversial practice of load management and decreased risk of injury.

For years, NBA teams have allowed non-injured star players to rest during the regular season in order to maintain health and postseason performance. Now, the report — completed by IQVIA Injury Surveillance & Analytics — says there's no proof this theory is true.

The NBA is attempting to curtail controversial "load management" practices. (Getty Images)

Granted, there's no proof it's not true, either.

"We're not saying it's better or worse," said Dr. Christina Mack, epidemiologist and chief scientific officer at IQVIA.

Thanks, guys, that's really helpful.

Anyway, the study examined the relationship among three important factors:

"Results from these analyses do not suggest that missing games for rest or load management — or having longer breaks between game participation — reduces future in-season injury risk," the report said.

"In addition, injury rates were not found to be higher during or immediately following periods of a dense schedule."

The NBA Has Tried To Stop Load Management Practices

Commissioner Adam Silver said fans are getting screwed over by NBA stars' increasingly popular load management routine.

Guys like LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard are prominent users of this justification to rest during back-to-back games — a slap in the face to fans who spend their hard-earned money on tickets.

The practice also waters down the product for sponsors and TV partners who expect to see the team's best players on the court.

Load management in the NBA has become so common that the league introduced a player rest policy this season and has already handed out punishment for teams not adhering to it.

As OutKick's Geoff Clark pointed out, many of the league's biggest stars sat on the sidelines for Saturday's games — including Luka Dončić, Draymond Green, Jaren Jackson, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama and LeBron.

"How much longer can they continue to rip off fans?" he asked.

And Geoff certainly isn't the only fan who feels this way.

Will this new report actually change anything? We'll see. But NBA Senior Vice President of Player Matters Dave Weiss says it's a step in the right direction.

"We accepted that conventional wisdom and some of the information that teams had shared with us over years, which included some data but never nearly as robust as what we've now shared back," Weiss said.

"And it hit a point where we said, 'You know, we have been looking at this for years and we are not seeing this effect, and so we think we need to get more formal and structured in terms of how we're analyzing this and sharing it out with teams.' And that's really kind of what led to this."

Follow Amber on X at @TheAmberHarding or email her at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.