AUTHOR=Xiong Changyue , Wu Chenxi , Bai Lu , Yan Yuxin , Chen Sumeng 

TITLE=Will the COVID-19 infection affect the performance of top basketball players? A data-driven analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1440472

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2024.1440472

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Purpose</title><p>To investigate the changes in the game performance of high-level basketball players in NBA league before and after the COVID-19 infection.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Athletic statistics were collected from official database for 68 players (19 forwards, 29 guards, 20 centers; mean age 27.14 ± 3.65 years) in the NBA league for 10 games before and after infection with COVID-19. We used a the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance to examine the impact caused by COVID-19.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Among all 68 players, a statistically significant decrease in plus/minus (<italic>Z</italic> = −2.392, <italic>p</italic> = 0.017) and free throw shooting (FT% <italic>Z</italic> = −2.153, <italic>p</italic> = 0.031), occurred compared to the pre-infection with COVID-19. Among the interior players, we found a statistically significant decrease in free throw shooting FT% (<italic>Z</italic> = 2.674, <italic>p</italic> = 0.021), Plus/Minus (<italic>Z</italic> = −2.371, <italic>p</italic> = 0.018). Among centers and forwards, there was no statistically significant change.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>The impact of COVID-19 on players’ fatigue and cardiorespiratory and muscular endurance may have contributed to the decline in performance, and the impact of detraining due to isolation should not be ignored.</p></sec>