Last fall, Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert was playing the best basketball of his careeruntil November 12, when he dislocated his foot in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was an injury far too gruesome to show on replay, the kind involving a mangled extremity that causes teammates and opponents to collectively shake their heads in disbelief while the crowd sits in absolute silence. (Seriously, dont Google it.) Except, LeVert remembers, it didnt actually hurt that much. At first.
I was more mad than anything, he says. I wasnt even thinking of the pain, which was probably partially adrenaline and disbelief. It didnt hit me until we got in the ambulance 15 minutes after they carted me off the court, and my trainer was talking to metrying to distract me. Next thing I know, theyre jerking my foot, and thats when I realized, Oh, this is real. That moment was the worst pain Ive ever felt.
Remarkably, after doctors popped LeVerts foot back into place, no surgery was required. He missed three months, but returned to action in February. He had an (understandably) up-and-down remainder of the season, but capped it off with an impressive performance in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.
This offseason, LeVert prioritized strengthening his foot and ankle by employing a variety of balancing drills, while also squeezing in a healthy amount of hooping. LeVert logged four-a-days: two on-the-court workouts and two off-the-court workouts. Thats an encouraging development for Nets fans hoping hell emerge as the teams second star this season, behind Kyrie Irving (and third star next season when Kevin Durant presumably returns after suffering a ruptured Achilles.)
A few weeks ago, I spoke to LeVert about the full extent of his offseason routine, recent changes to his diet, and his affection for float tanks. At the time of our conversation, LeVert was gearing up for his first-ever trip to China as part of a preseason double-header against the Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey had yet to fire off his fateful tweet about Hong Kong. LeVert said he was looking forward to the overseas experience, which presumably became a bit more complicated than originally anticipated.
GQ: Can you walk me through a normal day for you this offseason?
Caris LeVert: I took about two weeks off after we lost to the 76ers in the playoffs. After that, I started my workouts here in Brooklyn. First, Id get some breakfast inusually two or three eggs, some veggies like broccoli, and I love oatmeal in the morning, too. Id head to the gym around 9 a.m. to do a 30-minute lift. We call those correctives, where youre more working on balance drills, hamstrings, and core work. The Nets are big on that. The corrective workout isnt your typical lift, but it helps strengthen your little muscles.
Then, Id have an hour-and-a-half workout on the court, and after that is a bigger upper- or lower-body lift. Id get some treatment, do some more balance drills to strengthen my ankle back up. Then Id usually go home and take a nap, chill for a couple hours, and head back to the gym later that night and get a bunch of shots up.
Have you always stuck to a healthy-sounding diet?
No, thats been the biggest adjustment the past couple of years: I wasnt really very educated on what makes up a healthy diet. In college, I would eat a lot of Five Guys and burgers. Everybody eats differently, but thats not the best for your digestive system, and Ive learned that over the years. Now I stay away from pork, beef, and things like that. I stick to chicken a couple times a week, and I eat a lot of fish and veggies. I dont really like fruit, so I drink a lot of smoothies to get my fruit intake up.
See the rest here:
Caris LeVert: The Real-Life Diet of the NBA Player Who Swears by Fruit Smoothies - GQ
