True Trail Blazer: Jessica Cohen becomes only female head athletic trainer in NBA
PORTLAND, Ore. (BVM) – Jessica Cohen has been around sports most of her life. As a little girl, she had dreams of changing the world of athletics. Most of these dreams usually circulated around her athletic performance, winning an Olympic gold medal in swimming or breaking school and national records. Those dreams did not come true, but she has changed sports forever, not by what she’s done on the playing field, but by helping those succeed on it.
On Jan. 19, Cohen was promoted to head athletic trainer for the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. On Jan. 23, she made her debut during the team’s game against the Toronto Raptors. With her participation in that game, Cohen became the only female head athletic trainer in the NBA today.
“It was really exciting and I think it was a little surprising just with how a normal season works and it being midseason so it was definitely a surprise but a welcomed surprise,” Cohen said. “I’m super excited for the opportunity. [It’s] a dream come true if you will.”
Appreciate all the support! https://t.co/Gizc2VxPbu
— Jessica Cohen (@JessicaCohen2) January 23, 2022
Although she isn’t the first — that distinction belongs to former Los Angeles Lakers head athletic trainer Nina Hsieh who became the first in league history back in 2019 — Cohen joins a special few to hold the distinction in sport. In 2012, the glass ceiling in all four major sports was broken by Sue Falsone who became the first head athletic trainer in the MLB. The odds have always been against Cohen to get to this point, as even though the sports leagues and the athletic training profession as a whole has seen more females in the ranks, the representation of female ATs in the position of utmost authority has not yet seen a significant increase to this point.
“It was definitely not at the top of my mind that this was going to evolve into being the only female head athletic trainer,” Cohen said. “I think the NBA has really developed the diversity through different parts of organizations across the league in terms of the number of women in leadership roles so there are currently other women in leadership roles in sports medicine departments across the league.
“While I am super appreciative of the support…and super thankful for the opportunity to provide motivation and inspiration to girls, I think in the day-to-day world that I work in there’s a lot of talented women I work with.”
For Cohen, the journey was not clear from the beginning. During her time at St. Charles North High School in St. Charles, Illinois, Cohen excelled in the pool. She helped the North Stars win four sectional championships during her four seasons, including when she was named a team captain as a senior. Known for her intelligence outside the pool, Cohen would also be named academic all-conference four times before being named an academic All-American as a senior.
Her performance at St. Charles North earned Cohen a chance to swim at the collegiate level at Vanderbilt. While she wouldn’t be one of the top swimmers during her time with the Commodores, she set personal bests in 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, as well as 200-yard IM at SEC Championships as a junior in 2009. That year, she would also make her first strides of impacting life outside of the pool as she worked with a service program for Free the Children in Emori Joi, Kenya that helped build a clean water source for a small village. Thanks to this effort, she was named to the 2009 SEC Swimming and Diving Community Service Team.
“I remember somebody who came in and was really driven as both a swimmer and a student,” Vanderbilt swim and dive coach Jeremy Organ said. “Really [she] was somebody who had goals set for herself and really wanted to know what it would take to accomplish those goals…She became a captain her senior year, became a really strong leader just because of how she conducted herself and she was just such a good person all around. A real driven kid and a real pleasure to have around.”
“I think Vanderbilt gave me a taste of the team aspect, the work ethic, the discipline that it takes to work at this level and I’m thankful for my time there,” Cohen said. “I’m a huge Vanderbilt fan and always cheering for them so I really appreciate my time in Nashville.”
Way to go, Jess! 👏 https://t.co/Av6w4cqrVW
— Vanderbilt Athletics (@vucommodores) January 24, 2022
Cohen graduated from Vanderbilt in 2010 with a B.S. in health policy and human organizational development, but it was an internship with the Vanderbilt football department as an athletic trainer that set her down her current career path.
“I thought I was going to be headed over to Africa to spend a few years working on public health projects and that fell through,” Cohen said. “I stayed in Nashville for the fall and worked for the football team and got exposed to the athletic trainer for the first time as an athletic trainer instead of an athlete…and I thought, ‘I think I will really enjoy doing this.’”
In 2013, Cohen earned her master’s of athletic training at the University of Arkansas and later earned her doctorate of physical therapy from Northwestern in 2016, solidifying herself as one of the best in her field early in her career.
After her schooling, Cohen would jump immediately into the world of sports. The athletic trainer would double up on jobs, working with the New England Black Wolves of the National Lacrosse League as well as the Chicago Sky of the WNBA. Cohen would work with the Sky for five years before joining the staff of the Atlanta Dream for two seasons as the team’s head athletic trainer and physical therapist, proving her ability in one of the fastest growing leagues in the country.
“When you’re in the WNBA, there’s less resources and less hands available, it forces you to be involved in a lot of aspects of the organization,” Cohen said. “I was exposed to taking care of an entire roster of medical needs on and off the court so I think it prepared me for my ability to have a high workload, be able to multitask and develop communication skills.”
In 2019, Cohen joined the Portland Trail Blazers staff where she has been ever since. Originally the team’s assistant athletic trainer/physical therapist, Cohen learned under head athletic trainer Geoff Clark. Clark, a former National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association Trainer of the Year award winner, helped teach the young trainer the ropes so she would one day be able to head her own unit in the league. That day came in January when Geoff was promoted to Director of Player Health and Performance, opening the door for Cohen to take over.
“If there’s one person that I have to attribute pretty much any of my success in the NBA to it would be Geoff Clark,” Cohen said. “He’s been an unbelievable mentor to me…I joke and tell people all the time if it wasn’t for Geoff Clark I don’t know how long I would’ve made it.”
What a wild few days it has been! Excited for what’s ahead & very grateful for the opportunity! #RipCity 🏀🌹 https://t.co/NRMLjYrust
— Jessica Cohen (@JessicaCohen2) January 23, 2022
Trail Blazers players couldn’t be more excited about the news.
Boss lady J 🙏🏽 https://t.co/FjMSGtFnJn
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) January 22, 2022
Lady J! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 https://t.co/DKQrgEc26U
— Jusuf Nurkić 🇧🇦 (@bosnianbeast27) January 22, 2022
Now a part of a new era in the NBA, one where the league has seen its first female head coach finalist and an increase of females throughout the sport from broadcasters to athletic trainers, including the Trail Blazers hiring their first female assistant coach, Edniesha Curry, last summer, Cohen has made her own mark for a bright future in the game. She hopes that her move, though impactful, is just the beginning of a bigger movement in the NBA and across the world.
“Unfortunately at the professional level, there’s still transitioning to having more females involved in athletic training roles, sports medicine roles in general and leadership roles,” Cohen said. “For me, this is something that I always wanted to do and I didn’t really feel limited by my gender and have the opportunity the Trail Blazers have provided to fulfill this role.
“I think that, unrelated to my gender, I feel prepared and motivated for the task at hand. But for women and girls who haven’t had the opportunity to see a female stake in a role like this, I’m really honored to provide them additional motivation and additional belief that really there’s no title or job someone can or cannot do because of their gender.”
