NBPA Taps Cleveland Clinic for Sports-Medicine Research, Player Wellness

The NBA’s players association continues to invest in player wellness and performance, tapping the Cleveland Clinic as a partner at its performance lab in Spain

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is adding another key player in its efforts to innovate around athlete wellness and performance.

The union representing NBA players announced a partnership with the Cleveland Clinic to further support The Sanctuary, an offseason performance retreat for NBA players from Plyrs Untd.

The Sanctuary retreats take place in Andalucia, Spain, and had been hosted by the NBPA since 2022 before Plyrs Untd, the NBPA’s new consumer-facing commercial brand, took over this year. The Sanctuary attendees will now gain access to the Cleveland Clinic’s latest research to make more informed decisions regarding performance and enhance their offseason training protocols. 

“Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in sports performance makes it an ideal partner to ensure our players have the latest research and insights to make informed decisions,” said Matteo Zuretti, chief player experience officer at the NBPA. “Bringing the Clinic’s excellence into the unique platform we’ve curated at The Sanctuary over the last four years empowers our players to maximize their offseason training.”

Norman Powell, Deni Avdija, Jeremiah Fears, Saddiq Bey and Hugo González represent just a handful of the NBA players visiting The Sanctuary this year.  Past attendees include Jaylen Brown, Andre Iguodala and Donovan Mitchell. 

“The future of athlete care extends far beyond treating injuries,” said Dr. Paul Saluan, the director of strategic initiatives and clinical development for the global peak performance center at the Cleveland Clinic. “This partnership brings together two organizations committed to helping athletes perform at their highest level while prioritizing their long-term health. 

The partnership will also make the Cleveland Clinic the presenting partner for the Plyrs Performance Summit at The Sanctuary. The event will bring together key people in athletics, performance and technology to discuss opportunities around biomechanics, regenerative medicine and developments in sports technology. A new committee with Sports Data Labs, tasked with assessing innovative opportunities in athlete health data and sports performance, has also been established through the collaboration. 

“We have a unique opportunity to connect directly with players, share our expertise in sports medicine and performance and help advance new approaches that support athletes throughout their careers and beyond,” Dr. Saluan added. 

This isn’t the NBPA’s first wellness-oriented partnership with an eye toward advancing player health and performance. In 2024, the union launched a musculoskeletal and joint health study featuring wearable technologies to potentially mitigate injury risk that same year. Less than a month ago, it announced a partnership with Teladoc Health, officially naming the platform its preferred virtual care provider. 

The NBPA has also collaborated with Canyon Ranch to create athlete-inspired health and fitness experiences for guests.