John DiFiori, MD, FACSM

Dr. John DiFiori is Chief of the Primary Sports Medicine Service at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and has special expertise and extensive experience in treating sports injuries in competitive athletes. He serves as the Director of Sports Medicine for the NBA, where he is involved with the League’s research initiatives, as well as the development and implementation of all policies related to player health and safety. He has also been appointed to the FIBA (The International Basketball Federation) Medical Commission where he works with basketball federations around the world to set standards for player health.

Prior to joining HSS, Dr. DiFiori was Chief of the UCLA Division of Sports Medicine and Non-Operative Orthopaedics. As Head Team Physician for the UCLA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, he supervised the care of more than 650 athletes in 24 NCAA sports. He spent more than 15 years on the sidelines with the Bruins football and basketball teams.

Dr. DiFiori has served as President of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the largest organization of sports medicine physicians in the U.S. He has the distinction of being named a fellow of both the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. Dr. DiFiori recently presented at the 2020 Scandinavian Sports Medicine Congress in Copenhagen, honored to be the only American physician invited to provide scientific presentations at the three-day event. He spoke on youth sports injuries, injury prevention and early single sport specialization in young athletes.

Dr. DiFiori is the lead author for the recently published NBA Youth Basketball Guidelines, and the AMSSM Position Statement on Overuse Injuries and Burnout in Youth Sports. He serves on the editorial boards of Current Sports Medicine Reports and the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.

Dr. DiFiori has served as a medical consultant for the NHL Players Association and as a team physician for the United States Olympic Committee for several international competitions, including US Soccer, USA Basketball, and the XIII Pan American Games.

His sports medicine practice at HSS focuses on the care of competitive athletes and active individuals of all ages.