But this latest injury has raised a burning question—did early specialization break Zion? Here's what we know: over the past 15 years, the number of young athletes who specialize early has grown exponentially.
By specialize, we mean focusing exclusively on one sport year-round rather than competing in multiple sports. We know that young athletes who specialize are at a higher risk of future injury compared to athletes who grow up engaging in multiple sports.
For example, a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine examined 237 first-round NBA Draft picks and found that those who competed in multiple sports in high school suffered fewer major injuries, played in more games, and enjoyed longer NBA careers than those who specialized.
More generally, a 2017 study from the University of Wisconsin found that high school athletes with a "high specialization classification" had an 85-percent higher incidence of lower extremity injuries than high school athletes with a "low specialization classification."
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