Kyrie Irving is one of the top stars in the NBA (Getty)
Let’s take a look at the top 5 NBA players who follow a vegan diet
Going vegan is the new growing trend that is taking all over the world. From actors to athletes, everybody is accepting the vegan lifestyle to keep up with the changing times. With every passing day, even common people are choosing veganism because of its massive health benefits.
NBA players have always been the prime example of athleticism and good health. Time and again we have witnessed several basketball players pushing themselves to extreme limits for achieving perfection.
Along with rigorous exercises, a strict and healthy diet is the key factor for improving fitness and staying healthy. Nowadays, we are seeing more and more NBA players adopting the Vegan lifestyle to improve their physical efficiency.
Here are the top 5 NBA players who have adopted a vegan diet and are leading the campaign for diet change in the NBA.
Chandler has been a staunch supporter of the vegan lifestyle for the longest time possible. A career marred with injuries; this former Brooklyn Nets player decided to go vegan for testing out its benefits.
There was no looking back for him ever since. He himself has admitted that he sleeps better, wakes up in a much better mood and his stamina level has increased exponentially.
He also tries to keep himself as updated as possible on this subject. He says that he was inspired by documentaries like Food, Inc. and GMO OMG.
Three times NBA champion, McGee decided to go vegan in 2016. After seeing many ups and downs in his career, McGee finally seems to have found consistency. He has owed it all to his vegan diet.
He has become a master in losing weight via plant-based diets and has lost almost 20 pounds after he chose the vegan lifestyle.
In 2020, McGee had a huge contribution in winning the NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. He currently plays for the Denver Nuggets and has no plan in ditching veganism.
This 11-time NBA All-Star is yet another big example of veganism. After averaging career lows with the Houston Rockets in 2018-2019, Paul switched to a plant-based diet and things are looking way better than before.
Paul has stated that being vegan has helped him feel more energetic and spirited. This was not the only benefit, he also noticed that his body recovered faster after grueling practices and games (h/t Clutch points):
“I do feel really good,” he says. “I think the biggest change for me is the aches and pains of the season. I started working out and training and I got to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I thought, am I not lifting hard enough? Am I not training hard enough? Why am I not achy? I ain’t trying to say you have to stay with it, but give it a try.”
The Phoenix Suns veteran has also invested in a plant-based food company called ‘Beyond Meat’ alongside other NBA stars like JaVale McGee of the Denver Nuggets and DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets.
After switching to a vegan diet in 2017, this Portland Trailblazers veteran has reportedly lost more than 10 pounds.
He says that he felt much lighter and “easier on his joints and knees”. Lillard added (H/t Oregon Live):
“I’ve been wanting to eat cleaner. Also, I was trying to play lighter this year, be easier on my joints and on my feet. Getting older and you don’t want to let that age sneak up on you where you just get in the habit of eating whatever you want to eat because I know I’m gonna burn it off when it’s time to play. So just creating better habits.”
However, in a recent interview, Lillard has disclosed that he is not a pure vegan anymore. He has lost more weight than he intended to shed and is mixing things up to balance his diet. He said that he has added back chicken and beef into his diet. Moreover, he eats vegan meals regularly.
The 2016 NBA champion is one of the most famous faces of the NBA and yes, he is vegan. He adopted a plant-based diet in 2017 when he was a Boston Celtics player. Since then, he has been an unstoppable force to deal with.
In 2019, Kyrie Irving, along with 13 other professional athletes, invested in Beyond Meat and kicked off the vegan brand’s “Go Beyond” campaign as an athlete ambassador. The 29-year-old Brooklyn Nets player was also one of PETA’s most beautiful vegans in 2019.
Irving also worked with Beyond Meat throughout Covid-19 to distribute vegan food to communities in need. Last spring, Irving facilitated the donation of 200,000 vegan Beyond Burgers to the Food Bank for New York City and made a $323,000 cash donation to Feeding America to aid their hunger-relief efforts.
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