Medicine in the Bubble - The NBA and Covid-19

Leroy Sims, BS '01, MS '02, MD '07

Join us to hear how the Vice President and Medical Director of the National Basketball Association (NBA) developed a medical protocol plan for delivering a safe and responsible season in the midst of a pandemic. Learn about the many aspects of working with hospitals, clinics, physicians, first responders and other key partners to ensure optimum medical care to 22 teams in a unique isolation zone that saved the 2020 play-off season.

Dr. Leroy Sims, MD, MSc, CAQSM, is a physician who is board-certified in emergency medicine and primary care sports medicine. He is the current Vice President and Medical Director for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a partner with Mills Peninsula Emergency Medical Associates and practices emergency medicine at Mills Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, California. In his role with the NBA, Dr. Sims is responsible for the organization and provision of medical care at all domestic and international NBA, WNBA and G-League events. He coordinates medical care with hospitals, physicians, first responders and other key partners to ensure optimum medical services at NBA events, including transportation for off-site medical care and the development of standard methodologies for on-site medical care. Dr. Sims is responsible for monitoring global health issues and disseminating information specific to NBA events, event participant infectious disease exposure, and NBA business travel in the form of medical advisories, vaccination recommendations, and overall health safety assessments.

Dr. Sims represented the United States Olympic Committee at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, serving as a team physician for the USA Track and Field (USATF) team. He has been a team physician with USATF since 2013, staffing multiple domestic and international events including USATF Indoor and Outdoor National Championships, Olympic Trials, the 2013 Pan American Jr Championships in Medellin, Colombia, the 2014 Indoor World Championships in Sopot, Poland, and the 2015 Outdoor World Championships in Beijing, China. Dr. Sims was previously the Medical Director and team physician for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors from 2011-2014. His sports medicine career began at Stanford University following his primary care sports medicine fellowship there, where he was appointed as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. In addition to providing clinic-based patient care, he was also an instructor for two undergraduate courses—Human Physiology and the sophomore seminar Sports, Exercise and Health: Exploring Sports Medicine. During his time at Stanford as a sports medicine physician and team physician for intercollegiate sports, Dr. Sims the was Medical Director for Stanford University’s Football Team during the period that included 4 consecutive BCS Bowl appearances (Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and two Rose Bowl games). He also served as head team physician at Stanford for multiple sports including for track and field, women's soccer, women's gymnastics, wrestling and women's tennis.

Dr. Sims graduated from Stanford University with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Biological Sciences. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University School of Medicine, during which time he was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship. He completed Emergency Medicine residency at the county hospital Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. He went on to complete a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Sims has given lectures worldwide on topics in emergency medicine and sports medicine, published peer-reviewed research, and presented at national and international conferences. He currently serves on the board for Boys and Girls Clubs of America as a trustee for the Midwest region.