This week Andy welcomes Dr. Robert Klapper, a world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon to Legends Of Sport! A leader in minimally invasive surgical technique, Dr. Klapper is the Director of Joint Replacement Program Orthopaedic Surgery at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles and has performed over 16,000 surgeries. He holds numerous patents in medical technology and instruments and for 12 years, hosted his Weekend Warrior radio show on ESPN LA where he gave his unique orthopaedic perspective on sports and the injuries sustained by your favorite athletes.
Outside of the hospital, Dr. Klapper can be found sculpting marble or surfing. Hear Dr. Klapper describe the example his parents set growing up in Far Rockaway, NY, how the 1968 Olympics inspired his pursuit of higher education, how studying art influenced & enriched his life, his “ah-ha” moment on a trip to Italy studying Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo, his own passion for sculpting, how saving a life earned him a spot at the University of Hawaii, his incredible surfing analogy for living life to the fullest, his former ESPN radio show “Weekend Warrior,” his upcoming “Klapper Vision” project focusing on sports injuries and so much more!
Other Topics Discussed in this Episode:
4:24 Dr. Klapper talks about his childhood, his father’s influence and being accepted into three Ivy League schools
9:30 “Visual noise” and the art history class at Columbia University that changed Dr. Klapper’s life
16:00 Dr. Klapper’s 10th wedding anniversary trip to Italy where he followed Michelangelo’s life through his sculptures and experienced an “ah-ha” moment
26:48 Dr. Klapper’s popular lecture on Michelangelo’s sculptures and how he manipulated anatomy.
34:45 Saving a life and learning to surf to Hawaii
41:00 Dr. Klapper’s surfing metaphor for life
“The nose of the surfboard is your future. The tail of the surfboard is your past. But the surfer stands in the middle and learns to live in the moment.”
43:45 Dr. Klapper and Andy reflect on legacy of Kobe Bryant
