Los Angeles Lakers head athletic trainer Nina Hsieh has spent two years in her role with the team. The first year could not have gone better, as the Lakers remained relatively healthy en route to winning the franchise’s 17th NBA championship.
However, a deeply shortened offseason and a condensed schedule ensured that Hseih’s job would get much harder.
In the 2020-21 season, the Lakers missed a total of 201 games — via Spotrac data — due to injury, which was fourth-most among playoff teams. They also lost LeBron James and Anthony Davis for long periods of time due to significant injury.