Tom Abdenour, who has served as head athletic trainer of the Golden State Warriors since 1987, has made numerous contributions to the athletic healthcare profession. Currently, he serves as chairman of the National Basketball Atheltic Trainers Association (NBATA).
In June 2007, Tom was inducted to the presitgious National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame, making him just the third NBA athletic trainer in history to be so honored.
Also, in June 2005, he was bestowed the Tim Kerin Excellence in Athletic Training Award at the National Athletic Trainers Association annual meeting in Indianapolis. This award honors an athletic trainer who goes above and beyond in service to the profession.
In addition to his work with the Warriors, Abdenour was athletic trainer for the 2003 U.S. Men’s and Women’s Wrestling Teams at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.; the gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s Basketball Team at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia; 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada; and Dream Team II at the 1994 Basketball World Championships in Toronto. He was Western Conference athletic trainer for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game.
Before joining the NBA ranks, Abdenour spent eight years as head athletic trainer for all 15 varsity sports programs at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Prior to that, he spent one year as athletic trainer at Hillsdale College in south central Michigan.
Abdenour co-created Pro-Stim, a therapeutic modality device patented in 1992 that combines electrical stimulation and cold therapies.
In 1990, he was selected “NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year” by his peers. He has contributed to two books: “Total Fitness the NBA Way” (2000) and “Sports Injury Care” (1992).
Abdenour is chairman of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Honors and Awards Committee and coordinates the NBTA’s Student Athletic Trainer Program at the NATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposia. The program provides meaningful educational experiences for nearly 100 college students each year.
The Detroit native’s brother, Mike, is a long-time head athletic trainer for the Detroit Pistons.
Tom is a member of the NATA, California Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Governmental Affairs Committee and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is also an active committee member for the St. Vincent de Paul CHAMPION Guidance Center For Men, which provides assistance to the homeless in the Oakland area. He was featured in the Faces in the Crows section of Sports Illustrated for his work with the Champion Guidance Center. Tom was recently certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) as a Performance Enhancement Specialist and a Corrective Exercise Specialist.
Tom and his wife Christine have three children, Carolyn, Rebecca and Thomas, Jr., and reside in San Leandro, Calif.
Frank Bernard is currently in his fifth season as the assistant athletic trainer for the Golden State Warriors and his seventh season overall with the organization. In his current role, he assists with the day-to-day health maintenance of the team, including the rehabilitation therapy of injuries.
Prior to being promoted to his current position in June 2004, Bernard served two seasons as the team’s athletic training intern, assisting athletic trainer Tom Abdenour with the day-to-day medical and training needs of the team. Bernard began his NBA athletic training career in 2000-01 as an intern with the Sacramento Kings.
Bernard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science from U.C. Davis in 1999 before earning his Masters in Sports and Fitness Management from the University of San Francisco in December 2003. A member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the California Athletic Trainers’ Association, Bernard is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a certified Performance Enhancement Specialist by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Bernard currently resides in San Mateo.