What It Takes to Stay on the Court: Trae Young's Five-Year Approach to Ankle Protection

A new NBA season is getting underway. With training camp, preseason and then the long regular season ahead, the spotlight is back on the league’s stars. But behind the highlights is another challenge: getting your body ready for the grind of 82 games.

For Trae Young, one of the biggest focuses throughout his career has been his ankles.

Five years ago, Washington Wizards All-Star Trae Young and his performance lead Chelsea Lane swapped tape for a brace. Young says it's a big reason he's stayed on the court through an eight-year NBA career.

Along the way, he learned something simple: taking care of your body is part of the game.

Few people know that lesson better than Lane. The Australian-trained sports physiotherapist spent six years in the NBA, leading performance and sports medicine for the Golden State Warriors and later the Atlanta Hawks, where she and Young arrived the same year. "He was my rookie," she says. 

Video: https://youtu.be/Uc6mgy5sGyI?si=9RnYEB2hIArFR3GO

Why tape stopped working

Early in his career, Young's ankles kept giving out. "To be honest, I would roll my ankles too many times," he says. "I always wore tape since high school. I'd just tape my ankle."

The problem got worse as his game evolved. "When I started shooting floaters and landing on big men's feet and rolling my ankle, I was like, 'I didn't want to do this anymore.'" Looking back, he wishes he'd known sooner how tape wears down over a game: "I probably would have worn ankle braces earlier."

Lane saw the stakes clearly. "The foot and ankle are where the rubber hits the road," she says. "The greatest risk to an ankle injury is that you've had one before. Once you get into chronic injury, that becomes a real problem." A shaky ankle can throw off a player's shot, acceleration and ability to move around defenders.

When Young was hurting, the plan came in stages. "There's a lot of pain and dysfunction that comes about from having an ankle injury, this stuff hurts. So that was our first priority," Lane says. Next came getting him back on court safely, while keeping him fit and engaged when he couldn't "hoop."

They started where most teams do. "We started with tape. I'm a heavy tape user," Lane says. "But the tape wasn't meeting all of our needs. It wasn't comfortable, it was restrictive, and it was hard to get on and off. We needed protection without those downsides so we moved to a brace."

Why the Zamst A2-DX

The brace had to protect Young without slowing him down. "Trae is dynamic. He's everywhere. He moves quickly and unpredictably," Lane says. "We didn't want to take away his superpower. Any brace needed to be light and comfortable enough that he could switch off and not think about it, while still feeling protected."

Lane had already worked closely with Zamst braces during ankle rehab at Golden State, and had seen the A2-DX perform on an NBA point guard. "I knew the A2-DX ticked every box. It's comfortable, supportive, protective, light, breathable, and easy to put on and take off," she says. "It didn't detract from what he does - it enhanced it."

Young admits he was skeptical of braces at first. "A lot of people are turned off by braces because of the way they look and things like that, and how bulky they can be, but I feel like these aren't the normal type of braces," he says. "They're made for athletes."

Five years on, the results speak for themselves. "Even when I do it now, accidentally roll my ankle, the brace will catch it. I might have a bruise there, but it's definitely not me missing a game," Young says. "The brace has been big for me. I don't work out or anything without it."

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFHcPlx9i4

Staying game-ready means owning it

A brace is one piece of a much bigger system. "The reality of sport is that it is dangerous and people do get injured," Lane says. "So really it's about minimizing how often that happens and, when it does happen, treating it appropriately and helping them back to competition."

Lasting through an 82-game season starts in the off-season and never stops. "Once you're in the season, it's not set and forget. We're constantly topping up," she says, from muscle balance and cardio fitness to mental clarity. Recovery matters just as much: "If you're going to load, you have to recover. That's what makes the load work."

The load isn't only physical, either. "What do you need spiritually? Do you need time with family? Time with the Xbox? Time playing golf? What do you need to stay resilient to this incredible load?"

What separates the best, Lane says, is responsibility. Some players learn it from great parents or coaches; others learn it the hard way through a serious injury. "What is universal is that the top guys prioritize their injury prevention and injury management. And it's not just that they prioritize it - they own it."

About Chelsea Lane

Chelsea Lane is an Australian-trained sports physiotherapist and high-performance specialist. She spent six years in the NBA as Director of Performance and Sports Medicine with the Golden State Warriors, where she was one of the first women to lead an NBA performance and medical department and helped support multiple championship runs, and later as Vice President of Athletic Performance and Sports Medicine with the Atlanta Hawks. She now consults and leads high-performance programs focused on injury minimization, resilience and athlete readiness.

About Zamst

Zamst, a brand specializing in braces, supports, and care products for athletes, has 50 years of experience in the orthopedics field. Its mission is to prevent injuries and improve performance by integrating insights from sports medicine professionals and athletes. Feedback from sports physicians, trainers, and field testing with athletes helps ensure usability, fit, and durability, making its products trusted by top athletes worldwide.

Zamst is a proud sponsor of Trae Young. Learn more about Zamst x Trae Young at Zamst.com.