Austin Reaves who has gone from undrafted free agent signee to a steady contributor talked about his high-protein diet that mostly comprises fruits and vegetables to cope with the rigorous demands of the NBA season.
Despite going undrafted from Oklahoma, Reaves joined as a free agent last year and faced the challenge of being part of a team that suffered multiple injuries. Although he became popular for his appearance in a LeBron James meme, Reaves proved himself as a reliable player during his rookie season. In his second year, he has improved his scoring, assists, and shooting percentage and gained the confidence of new head coach Darvin Ham due to his consistent performance.
According to Reaves, he feels significantly better physically than he did at this stage in his first year as a rookie. “You play a game every other night basically and if it’s not every other night, you’re playing every third night,” he said. “A lot of people from the outside looking in don’t understand the time that everyone in professional sports dedicates to their body and all the time in ice baths, the training room getting stretched, or deep-tissue massages. It’s an everyday thing.”
‘I need the fat’
Talking about his diet, Reaves said, “I started loving roasted veggies and high-quality protein. Dark and light meat chicken, because I need the fat, and brown rice with sweet potato are some of my favorites. It wasn’t until I entered the NBA that I realized I actually had to eat some veggies,” he said, letting a laugh out. “Now that I eat them, I love them.”
He further added, “Now, because I want to sustain what I’m doing and have a long career, I know my body is an investment. I really try to watch what I put in it. I fall short every now and then, but it’s mostly a lot of fruits, vegetables, and clean foods.”