This high-tech ankle protector helps NBA players stay in the game

“I’ve always hated ankle braces, because a lot of the orthotics I tried before were really stiff and bulky,” Bozlis says. “BetterGuards are completely different. They’re really like a sock when you wear them… I can cut, jump, move side to side, and do whatever I need to do without feeling restricted.”

Even before he entered the NBA, Buzelis says he wore the brace to every practice and game. He has recommended it to several teammates, including Bulls point guard Josh Giede, who has also become a user. The list of notable NBA players who also use it includes brothers Franz, Mo Wagner, Austin Reeves, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Johnson, and TJ McConnell.

The brace is often worn by players recovering from an ankle injury. Again, it replaces the rigidity of previous braces, which Ferrotti says is detrimental to the recovery process.

“It actually makes the ankle weaker,” he says, claiming that more than half of people with ankle injuries have residual problems within 18 months as a result. “What you need is movement. That’s what strengthens all the accessory ligaments and tendons.”

Recent research seems to support Verutti’s claim, showing a faster timeline for return for athletes using BetterGuards compared to a control group. In a league like the NBA, results like this have tangible financial value.

“An ankle sprain is the No. 1 injury that results in time loss in the NBA each year,” says Eric Waters, director of player health and performance for the Chicago Bulls. Many Bulls players, including Buzelis, are big fans of BetterGuards, Waters says. “You’re saving us millions and millions of dollars in games lost to injuries.”

Frank Waters is among many team coaches who have multiple players who use the products regularly. Through the incubator program, they entered into a feedback loop with the company, which is providing rapid prototyping from a new manufacturing facility in Croatia. When a player requests a modification, they can test a revised product within a week or two. Players and coaches get all the benefits of this new approach to ankle protection; BetterGuards recruits a number of elite athletes to provide feedback on its products.