By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-07-06 11:51:38
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)的冠军绝杀跳投，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)高举拉里·奥布莱恩(Larry O’Brien)冠军奖杯，嗓音沙哑的彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)告诉NBC电视台，这个总冠军“对我们的球迷来说意味着一切”。
大卫·施密特(David Schmidt)医生亲眼目睹了这一切，眼中充满了喜悦，心中充满了感激。
“我身处体育圣地麦迪逊广场花园，而我，一个来自德克萨斯州哈珀的老土包子，竟然站在这里，我简直不敢相信这一切。”在谈到亲历马刺队首个NBA总冠军时，他说道，“我站在球场上，心想，‘我的天哪，我从没想过会发生这种事。’”
马刺队之后又赢得了四个总冠军，但在施密特担任球队首席队医的31年里，25年前他们以4比1战胜纽约尼克斯队的比赛，仍然是他最美好的回忆。
“每个总冠军都很特别，但毫无疑问，那是最棒的，”他说，“一路走来，在老论坛球馆横扫湖人队，并在最后一场比赛中赢得胜利——你知道，我们一直都不太喜欢湖人队——然后在肖恩（埃利奥特）的‘阵亡将士纪念日奇迹’中横扫了开拓者队，那感觉真是太棒了。”
如果马刺队在维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)时代赢得总冠军，施密特将以不同的视角见证这一时刻。在2023-24赛季结束后，他将转任名誉职位，这标志着他作为高级队医的最后一个赛季结束。此前，俱乐部在去年9月宣布，已与圣安东尼奥UT Health达成一项多年协议，后者将成为其运动医学合作伙伴。
“我想这意味着我可以去看比赛，喝啤酒了，”下个月就满69岁的施密特在谈到自己的新头衔时说。
施密特并不是马刺队医疗团队中唯一一位经历变革的元老。他的圣安东尼奥运动医学协会的同事保罗·塞恩斯(Paul Saenz)医生，在俱乐部工作了26年，今年4月，在马刺队与活塞队的赛季收官战中，他最后一次作为球队医生工作。
“这个时机真的很好，”67岁的塞恩斯说，他计划在今年年底从他的医生岗位上退休。
马刺队与圣安东尼奥UT Health合作的消息并没有让施密特和塞恩斯感到意外。近年来，职业体育团队与医院或卫生系统签署赞助协议已经变得很普遍。
“这就是市场，”塞恩斯说，“整个联盟都在发生这种事。现在你必须花钱才能照顾好这些球员。”
1993年，时任马刺队总经理鲍勃·巴斯(Bob Bass)聘请了当时37岁的骨科医生施密特，接替他的导师杰克·亨利(Jack Henry)担任球队医生。
从那时起，施密特为埃利奥特、罗宾逊、蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)、托尼·帕克(Tony Parker)、朗尼·沃克(Lonnie Walker)和许多其他球员做过手术，同时见证了球员医疗保健领域的巨大变化。
“这简直是天壤之别，”施密特说，“手术技术、康复技术、损伤预防策略、营养、睡眠、心理健康，都远远超出了我们过去所做的。”
施密特说，他为自己在帮助马刺队的运动医学部门从小规模发展到如今庞大而先进的运作规模方面所发挥的作用感到自豪。该部门位于拉卡特拉岩石区，这是一个耗资5亿美元的园区，其中包括一个医疗中心，俱乐部称其为“人类和运动表现卓越的全球中心”。
“我不是科学家，我是一名骨科医生，”施密特说，“我一直跟（管理层）说，我们需要更多的人来照顾球队——运动科学家、物理治疗师、运动心理学家、营养学家。”
马刺队现在拥有所有这些，甚至更多。
“岩石区可能是这个星球上技术最先进的训练基地，”施密特说，“我们绝对会好好照顾我们的运动员。”
在担任名誉职位期间，施密特将帮助医疗团队的新人了解马刺队的文化。
“我告诉他们，‘听着，我可能无法教你任何关于膝盖手术或骨科手术的知识，因为你已经知道了，但我可以帮助你了解我们的文化，’”他说。
施密特非常尊重这种文化的缔造者：教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)和球队首席执行官R.C.布福德(R.C. Buford)。
“波波就是波波，”施密特说，“他有时是不是个脾气暴躁的老头？当然是。但他是一个非常非常关心别人的人。这听起来像是老生常谈，但他确实真的很关心这些孩子，而且远远不止是篮球。他想让这些家伙不仅成为优秀的篮球运动员，而且成为优秀的人。”
施密特也非常尊敬其他几位马刺队的长期同事。这份名单包括训练师威尔·塞文宁(Will Sevening)、公关副总裁汤姆·詹姆斯(Tom James)，当然还有塞恩斯。
“我们在一起共事近三十年了，这在现在已经很少见了，”施密特说。
施密特说，1998年，该市第一位接受过专科培训的初级保健运动医学专家塞恩斯的加入，真正增强了运动医学团队的实力。
“我不治疗运动诱发的哮喘、镰状细胞性状或运动员会遇到的很多其他问题，所以有他在真是天赐良机，”施密特说，“他承担了大部分工作。”
和施密特一样，塞恩斯对1999年的总冠军也有着美好的回忆。但他也表示，他永远不会忘记马刺队在2013年总决赛中以4比3输给迈阿密热火队后，在2014年以4比1战胜对手夺冠。
“那很特别，因为蒂姆当时说，‘这一次，我们一定要赢，’”塞恩斯说。
两位医生都很珍惜与邓肯以及马刺队传奇三巨头的其他两位成员——帕克和吉诺比利(Ginobili)——之间的深厚感情。今年5月，在帕克的邀请下，施密特和塞恩斯前往法国参加了他的42岁生日派对。
“我经常见到马努和蒂姆，”施密特说，他还说他喜欢和吉诺比利谈论园艺，和邓肯谈论“射击”。
塞恩斯说：“我们与这些球员建立的关系，以及他们至今仍然给我们打电话、找我们帮忙，这很特别。”
施密特在马刺队的任期并非没有争议。在2017-18赛季，科怀·伦纳德(Kawhi Leonard)在马刺队医疗团队允许他上场后，选择到队外治疗股四头肌伤势。在伦纳德2017-18赛季只打了9场比赛后，马刺队在2018年7月将这位心怀不满的球星交易到了多伦多猛龙队。
“我对科怀没有任何恶意，”施密特说，“我祝他一切顺利。那是一段不幸的经历，但他去了多伦多，并赢得了一枚总冠军戒指。我为他感到高兴。”
塞恩斯说，在NBA，球员寻求外部意见的情况越来越普遍。
“在当今世界，要把你的球员完全掌握在自己眼皮底下越来越难了，因为经纪人认为所有优秀的医生要么在纽约，要么在洛杉矶，”塞恩斯说。
塞恩斯在马刺队有几个难忘的病例，包括埃利奥特在赢得1999年总冠军两个月后接受了肾脏移植手术，吉诺比利在2009年AT&T中心的一场比赛中将一只活蝙蝠拍到空中后接受了狂犬病治疗，以及吉诺比利在2016年的一场比赛中遭遇的严重睾丸受伤。
“知道（埃利奥特）那个赛季病得有多严重，我的心里一直压着一块大石头，”塞恩斯说。
塞恩斯说，他“最精彩的运动医学时刻”之一是在2008年西部半决赛对阵新奥尔良黄蜂队的比赛前，吉诺比利在一场与拉伸绳有关的怪异意外中导致拇指指甲骨折，他为这位阿根廷球星临时想出了一种治疗方法。
“我开始想，‘我们怎样才能保护好这个伤势（为下一轮对阵湖人队的比赛做准备）？’”塞恩斯说。
他的解决办法是打电话给他妻子的美甲师。
“所以我们用了一种用来修补指甲的丙烯酸树脂，”塞恩斯说，“效果非常好。”
但对施密特和塞恩斯来说，最美好的回忆还是来自那些夺冠的岁月。
“三十一年，这是一段相当不错的经历，在那段时间里，我们取得了一些成功，”施密特有意轻描淡写地说，“杰克·亨利照顾了他们15、17年，甚至从未进过总决赛。我没什么可抱怨的，这么说吧。”
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，骨科医生大卫·R·施密特(David R. Schmidt)在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会的术后预约中与来自赫洛蒂斯的病人比尔·卡明斯(Bill Cummings)交谈。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，骨科医生大卫·R·施密特在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会的病人预约间隙查看病人病历。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，骨科医生大卫·R·施密特在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会与16岁的病人米娅·布拉沃(Mia Bravo)碰拳告别。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，骨科医生大卫·R·施密特在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会与病人米娅·拉莫斯(Mia Ramos)进行膝盖手术后的复查，并与她交谈。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，骨科医生大卫·R·施密特在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会测量病人米娅·拉莫斯的膝盖活动度。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，保罗·S·塞恩斯(Paul S. Saenz)医生在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会与病人埃里克·阿尔瓦拉多(Erik Alvarado)交谈，讨论治疗他踢足球时扭伤的脚踝的下一步措施。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，骨科医生大卫·R·施密特在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会与来自赫洛蒂斯的病人比尔·卡明斯交谈。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，保罗·S·塞恩斯医生在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会的体检中与18岁的汉娜·罗斯(Hannah Ross)（左）及其家人交谈。罗斯已经看过塞恩斯医生至少12年了，她将在玛丽哈丁-贝勒大学学习杂技和翻滚，这次预约是她退休前最后一次去看塞恩斯医生。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，来自赫洛蒂斯的朱迪·罗斯(Judy Ross)在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会预约结束后拥抱保罗·S·塞恩斯医生。罗斯的女儿汉娜已经看过塞恩斯医生至少12年了，她将在玛丽哈丁-贝勒大学学习杂技和翻滚，这次预约是罗斯在塞恩斯医生退休前最后一次去看他。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，保罗·S·塞恩斯医生在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会查看X光片。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，保罗·S·塞恩斯医生在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会的走廊里与林赛·斯蒂芬斯(Lindsay Stephens)医生讨论病人的X光片。
2024年7月3日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥，保罗·S·塞恩斯医生在圣安东尼奥运动医学协会测试埃里克·阿尔瓦拉多扭伤脚踝的稳定性。
点击查看原文：Schmidt, Saez reflect on long stints as Spurs' team doctors
Schmidt, Saez reflect on long stints as Spurs’ team doctors
Avery Johnson’s championship-clinching jumper. David Robinson hoisting high the Larry O’Brien Trophy. A raspy-voiced Peter Holt telling NBC the title “means everything to our fans.”
Dr. David Schmidt witnessed all of it with wide eyes and a strong sense of gratitude.
“You are at Madison Square Garden, one of the meccas of sport, and here I am an old redneck from Harper, Texas, and I am pinching myself,” he said of being on hand for the Spurs’ first NBA championship. “I am standing on the court, thinking, ‘Holy moly, I never figured this would happen.’ ”
The Spurs would go on to win four more crowns, but their five-game victory over the New York Knicks 25 years ago ranks as Schmidt’s favorite memory in his 31 years as the club’s top doctor.
“All of them are special, but no question, that’s number one,” he said. “Just getting there, sweeping the Lakers and winning it in the last game at the old Forum — you know, we never liked the Lakers very much — then sweeping Portland with Sean (Elliott’s) Memorial Day Miracle, that was like, man.”
If the Spurs win a title during the Victor Wembanyama era, Schmidt will witness it from a different perspective. He is moving into an emeritus role in August after the 2023-24 season marked his final one as senior team physician. The transition comes after the club announced last September it had reached a multi-year agreement with UT Health San Antonio to serve as its sports medicine partner.
“I think that means I can go to a game and drink beer,” Schmidt, who turns 69 next month, said of his new title.
Schmidt isn’t the only longtime member of the Spurs’ medical staff undergoing a change. His Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio colleague Dr. Paul Saenz, a 26-year veteran with the club, worked his last game for the Spurs as a team physician when they closed the season against Detroit in April.
“The timing just really works out well,” said Saenz, 67, who plans to retire from his medical practice at year’s end.
The Spurs partnering with UT Health San Antonio wasn’t a surprise to Schmidt and Saenz. In recent years, it’s become common for pro sports teams to ink sponsorship deals with hospitals or health systems.
“It’s the marketplace,” Saenz said. “It’s happening all across the league. You have to pay to be able to take care of these guys now.”
Schmidt was a 37-year-old orthopedic surgeon when then-Spurs general manager Bob Bass hired him in 1993 to replace Schmidt’s mentor, Jack Henry, as team doctor.
Since then, Schmidt has performed surgeries on Elliott, Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Lonnie Walker and so many others while witnessing a sea change in player health care.
“It’s like night and day,” Schmidt said. “Surgical techniques, rehabilitation techniques, injury prevention strategies, nutrition, sleep, mental health, it goes way, way beyond what we did in the old days.”
Schmidt said he’s proud of his role in helping the Spurs go from a modest sports medicine staff to a large, state-of-the-art operation housed at The Rock at La Cantera, the $500 million campus that includes a medical complex the club calls a “global center for excellence in human and athletic performance.”
“I am not a scientist, I’m an orthopedic surgeon,” Schmidt said. “And I always talked to (the front office) about how we needed more people to take care of the team — sports scientists, physical therapists, sports psychologists, nutritionists.”
The Spurs have all of that now, and then some.
“The Rock is probably the most technologically advanced practice facility on this planet,” Schmidt said. “We absolutely take great care of our athletes.”
In his emeritus role, Schmidt will help newcomers to the medical staff learn about the Spurs’ culture.
“I tell them, ‘Look, I probably can’t teach you anything about knee surgery or orthopedic surgery you don’t already know, but I can help teach you about our culture,’ " he said.
Schmidt has great respect for the culture’s architects: coach Gregg Popovich and franchise CEO R.C. Buford.
“Pop is Pop,” Schmidt said. “Is he a cranky old man sometimes? Absolutely. But he’s a very, very caring individual. It sounds cliché, but he does really care about these kids, and it’s a lot more than just basketball. He wants to make these guys not just good basketball players but good human beings.”
Schmidt also holds several other longtime Spurs colleagues in high esteem. It’s a list that includes trainer Will Sevening, vice president of communications Tom James and, of course, Saenz.
“We have all been together for almost three decades, and that just doesn’t happen any more,” Schmidt said.
The addition of Saenz, the city’s first fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine specialist, in 1998 was a move that really bolstered the sports medicine staff, Schmidt said.
“I don’t treat exercise-induced asthma or sickle cell trait or a lot of the issues athletes deal with, so it was a godsend to have him,” Schmidt said. “He does the bulk of the work.”
Like Schmidt, Saenz has fond memories of the 1999 championship. But he also said he’ll never forget the Spurs beating the Miami Heat in five games to win the 2014 title after losing to them in seven games in the 2013 Finals.
“That was special because of the way Tim kind of said, ‘We are going to get it this time,’ " Saenz said.
The doctors cherish their strong bond with Duncan and the other members of the Spurs’ legendary Big Three: Parker and Ginobili. In May, Schmidt and Saenz traveled to France after Parker invited them to attend his 42nd birthday party.
“And I see Manu and Tim regularly,” said Schmidt, who added he likes to talk gardening with Ginobili and about “shooting stuff” with Duncan.
Said Saenz, “The relationships we built with those guys and the fact they still call us and call on us is special.”
Schmidt’s tenure with the Spurs hasn’t been without controversy. During the 2017-18 season, Kawhi Leonard sought outside treatment for a quadriceps injury after the Spurs medical staff had cleared him to play. The Spurs traded the disgruntled star to Toronto in July 2018 after he wound up playing in just nine games in 2017-18.
“I don’t hold any ill will toward Kawhi,” Schmidt said. “I wish him all the best. It was an unfortunate situation, but he went to Toronto and won a ring. I was happy for him.”
Players seeking outside opinions has become more frequent in the NBA, Saenz said.
“It today’s world it is more challenging to keep your athletes under your eyes only because the agents think all the smart doctors are either in New York or L.A.,” Saenz said.
Saenz had several memorable cases with the Spurs, including Elliott’s kidney transplant two months after winning the 1999 title, the rabies treatment Ginobili received after he swatted a live bat out of the air during a 2009 game at the AT&T Center and the serious testicular injury Ginobili suffered in a 2016 contest.
“Knowing how truly ill (Elliott) was that season was a tremendous weight on my mind,” Saenz said.
Saenz said one of his “most brilliant sports medicine moments” came when he improvised a treatment for Ginobili after the Argentine star fractured a thumb nail in a freak pre-game injury involving a stretch chord during the 2008 Western Conference semifinals against the New Orleans Hornets.
“I started thinking, ‘How can we protect this injury (for the next series against the Lakers)?’ " Saenz said.
His solution was to call his wife’s nail technician.
“So we used an acrylic used to mend a nail,” Saenz said. “It worked like a charm.”
But the best memories for Schmidt and Saenz came from the championship years.
“Thirty-one years, that’s a pretty good gig, and we had some success during that time,” Schmidt said in an intentional understatement. “Jack Henry took care of them for 15, 17 years and never even went to the Finals. I can’t complain, let’s put it that way.”
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David R. Schmidt talks with patient Bill Cummings of Helotes at a post-surgery appointment at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Between patients Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David R. Schmidt looks over patient paperwork at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
After a visit, Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David R. Schmidt fist bumps patient Mia Bravo, 16, at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David R. Schmidt talks with patient Mia Ramos during a post-knee surgery check up at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David R. Schmidt measures the range of motion of patient Mia Ramos’ knee at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Paul S. Saenz talks with patient Erik Alvarado about the next steps for healing his ankle sprained while playing soccer at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. David R. Schmidt talks with patient Bill Cummings of Helotes at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Paul S. Saenz talks with Hannah Ross, 18, left, and her family during a sports physical at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Ross has been seeing Saenz for at least 12 years and will be doing acrobatics and tumbling at University of Mary Hardin Baylor and this appointment was the last time Ross saw Dr. Saenz before he retires.
Judy Ross of Helotes embraces Dr. Paul S. Saenz after an appointment at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Ross’ daughter Hannah has been seeing Saenz for at least 12 years and will be doing acrobatics and tumbling at University of Mary Hardin Baylor and this appointment was the last time Ross saw Dr. Saenz before he retires.
Dr. Paul S. Saenz looks over x-rays at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Paul S. Saenz talks with Dr. Lindsay Stephens about a patient’s x-rays in the hallway of Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Paul S. Saenz tests the stability of Erik Alvarado’s sprained ankle at Sports Medicine Associates of San Antonio on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News