Former Los Angeles Lakers All-Star guard Nick Van Exel thinks that today's NBA stars preferring to wear low-top sneakers or mid-top shoes is causing a spike in the number of players suffering Achilles injuries in recent years.
This season alone, there have been a total of six players who tore their Achilles tendons during games, the latest being Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum . Tatum suffered the injury in Game 4 of the Celtics' best-of-seven second round playoff series against the New York Knicks and it was after that injury when Van Exel voiced out his opinion on the former Twitter app.
"There have been Achilles tears throughout the years but my thoughts on them is that they happen more now and I think it has something to do with them dam lows the players wear nowadays. Cover them ankles up fellas," wrote "Nick the Quick."
It's a long-accepted idea that low-top shoes can potentially cause Achilles injuries because the lack of ankle support can increase the workload of the tendon, making it susceptible to rupture or tear. Meanwhile, old school ballers used high-top shoes because with a higher heel-to-toe drop, it can reduce the strain on the tendon.
That school of thinking is backed up by a 2010 clinical study , which concluded that the type of footwear can affect Achilles tendon loading during dorsiflexion. According to the research, high-top shoes reduce the tension on the Achilles tendon by 9.9 percent. With tied laces, high-top shoes also cut the peak dorsiflexion angle by 7.2% as compared to low-top sneakers.
But in recent years and after the late Kobe Bryant started the revolution , players have preferred wearing low-top sneakers over high-tops because with more ankle freedom, it allows more agility which helps players make quick change in direction and fast lateral movement. But low-tops and mid-tops don't protect the ankle as much the the high-tops.
"I'm sure that's not the only reason, but I feel it has something to do with it," continued Nick. "Yeah, it's a lot of factors, but it's happening too much lately."
It was Indiana Pacers center James Wiseman who was the first to fall victim to an Achilles injury this season when he got injured shooting a three-pointer on opening night. Wiseman wore Kobe 9 low-top sneakers during that game. Less than a month later, Wiseman's teammate Isaiah Jackson also tore his right Achilles tendon. He was wearing the Nike Kyrie 4 shoe, which is a mid-top silhouette.
Miami Heat two-way guard Dru Smith was the next to succumb to an Achilles injury when he ruptured his left tendon last December. Smith wore low-top version of the Nike Kyrie 4 sneakers when he got hurt. Last January, it was New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray who tore his right Achilles tendon. Murray donned the New Balance Two WXY 5 which is also a low top shoe.
But of course, the biggest names to be hit by the Achilles bug this season were JT, whose Jordan Brand shoe is a mid-top type of sneaker and Damian Lillard , whose Adidas Dame 9 sneakers are low tops.
As Van Exel said, there are a lot of factors in an Achilles injury. The obvious suspect, though, is the shoes, although there will be those that will beg to disagree. Van Exel modeled the high-top Reebok Blast, though, and that's why he's biased.
