Key Takeaways:
- The Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Clinic have extended their partnership for 25 additional years, reinforcing what is already one of the longest continuous arrangements between a pro sports franchise and a healthcare provider.
- The extension includes the development of a new Global Peak Performance Center that will serve Cavaliers players, youth athletes, and the broader Northeast Ohio community.
- Cleveland Clinic’s embedded staff provides players with individualized recovery protocols, injury prevention strategies, mental health support, nutrition, and performance analytics across all 82 regular season games.
- Two Cleveland Clinic physicians have served as team doctors since 2016 and 2017 respectively, bringing a combined 40-plus years of sports medicine experience to the franchise.
A 30-Year Partnership Gets Longer
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Clinic have been working together for more than three decades. That relationship just got an additional 25 years. The extension, announced in February 2026, cements this as one of the most durable partnerships between a professional sports organization and a healthcare system in North American sports.
Cleveland Clinic’s Sports Medicine team provides day-to-day support across the entire season. Embedded athletic trainers work alongside Dr. James Rosneck, the team’s head physician since 2017, and Dr. Richard Figler, staff physician since 2016. Together, they oversee individualized care plans designed around load management, recovery, injury prevention, and return-to-play timelines.
“Our season-long approach is longevity,” Dr. Rosneck said. “We’re focused on maintaining peak conditioning, managing recovery, and addressing any issues immediately so players are ready to compete at the highest level night after night.”
What the Extension Actually Covers
Beyond game-night availability, the scope of Cleveland Clinic’s involvement is broad. The staff collaborates with strength coaches, athletic trainers, and front office personnel to review training data and adjust player programs throughout the season. Care also encompasses mental health and nutrition support alongside the physical performance side.
“We spend countless hours analyzing player data, reviewing training loads, and collaborating with athletic trainers, strength coaches, and the front office,” said Dr. Figler. “Every decision we make can impact a player’s availability and performance.”
Koby Altman, President of Basketball Operations, described the arrangement as a holistic model built around injury prevention, recovery, nutrition, and performance analytics, noting that Cleveland Clinic’s work is “strategically customized” to extend the professional lifespan of Cavaliers players.
Youth Athletes Enter the Picture
The extension includes a notable community component. The two organizations are jointly developing the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center, a facility designed to serve Cavaliers players, youth athletes, Northeast Ohio residents, and elite athletes from around the world.
The center is positioned as both a performance training hub and a research and development destination. Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group CEO Nic Barlage described it as a “beacon of health and wellness for the entire Cleveland community,” with the stated goal of establishing Northeast Ohio as a recognized destination for sports performance medicine.
For youth sports operators and brands watching facility investment trends, this represents a clear direction: professional franchises increasingly see youth athlete access as a core part of their community and commercial strategy, not a side initiative.
Long Partnerships Are Becoming a Competitive Advantage
The Cavaliers-Cleveland Clinic relationship is an example of what sustained, embedded healthcare partnership looks like at the professional level. The model, built over 30-plus years, now includes individualized player programming, mental and physical health integration, and a new shared facility serving multiple athlete populations.
As youth sports facilities continue to evolve and brands search for credible entry points into the youth sports marketplace, long-term healthcare partnerships between pro franchises and health systems offer a template worth paying attention to.
Source: Cleveland Cavaliers / Cleveland Clinic
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