At the time, Rosas could not have predicted that Sikka’s job would include combating a virus that spiraled into a global pandemic and caused the NBA to shut down. Now, Sikka and the Mayo Clinic — an academic medical center headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota — are spearheading a leaguewide study that aims to establish what percentage of NBA players, coaches, executives and staff have developed antibodies to the coronavirus.
Tag: Robby Sikka
The initiative, which is supported by …
The initiative, which is supported by the league office and the players’ association, is expected to have the participation of all 30 teams. “We are learning about this disease,” Sikka said. “We have learned a lot in two months. So if we can take the next two months, learn on the fly, mitigate risk, then we can move pretty quickly to do the right things to have safe play.” As practice facilities begin to open around the league, NBA officials are continuing to seek information about best practices to mitigate risk of infection for players and staff. Sikka, one of 10 people on the NBA’s sports science committee, has become one of the league’s resources.
In just one season with the Wolves, …
In just one season with the Wolves, Sikka and Rosas became close to Towns’ parents, who attended almost all of their son’s games. “It very much hit home for us,” Sikka said. “I am never going to forget that experience with Karl. It changed my life, it changed his life, it changed our organization’s history. It was extremely challenging for everybody.” Prior to his mother’s death, Towns donated $100,000 to assist Sikka and the Mayo Clinic’s coronavirus research. “We took a cue from KAT and his family,” Rosas said. “We took that cue and looked for ways to be good teammates to the NBA and the 29 other teams by connecting with Mayo Clinic to try to find strategies to fight the virus.”