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Going vegan is a belief that is spreading worldwide albeit at a gradual speed, but nonetheless it is a growing trend. While for most people going vegan is to do with animal rights and prevention of animal cruelty, the study into the vegan diet and its benefits is also catching on.
NBA players have been pioneers of athleticism and good health and this holds true even today as more and more players are adopting the Vegan lifestyle to stay healthy and improve their fitness. Here are the top 5 NBA players who have adopted a vegan diet and have become the voice for diet change in the NBA.
#5 Wilson Chandler - Denver Nuggets
Wilson Chandler has been an outspoken supporter of the vegan lifestyle ever since he took to it and witnessed the benefits for himself. After a string of injuries followed by surgeries, Wilson Chandler decided to go vegan and test out the benefits. He hasn't looked back since then and said, "Eating a vegan diet has changed my everyday living. I sleep better, I wake up in a better mood, I recover faster, I’m not so inflamed, not so achey. I feel better overall, in everything that I do. I can take in more information easier. My mind is just open."
#4 Garrett Temple
Garrett Temple missed the cut on the Miami Heat roster in 2012 but he took away some major advice that has helped him become a better player. Back in 2012 during the Miami Heat training camp Temple was supremely impressed by the physique and health of Ray Allen who was already 37 at the time.
Ray Allen advised him to stay away from animal products like beef and bacon, which Temple took to his heart and hasn't touched since. Recently he has decided to take a step further and go completely vegan albeit on the trial basis. But if the trend is anything to go by, he seems to be set to experience the health benefits himself and continue on this path.
#3 Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol wasn't always the modern NBA center he is today. In fact, very few people remember that Marc was in fact drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers and then traded to Memphis in a trade. At the time of the trade the talk of the town was how the Lakers had gotten a steal by trading Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and the rights to draft "the young and fat Gasol brother". That is how underrated Marc Gasol was when he came into the league, but he changed all of that by changing his diet to a vegan diet and shedding nearly 40 pounds off his high school weight.
#2 Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is one of the best young talent in the NBA right now and he has adopted the vegan diet after feeling pain in his joints that go through so much grind on a daily basis. Since adopting the vegan diet, Lillard has felt a noticeable difference in the way his body reacts to the daily grit and grind.
In an interview with OregonLiveSports, Lillard said "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."
"I feel much better. I thought it was all hype. I thought people just said it just because it was a healthier food but I can feel it. I can definitely feel it.”
#1 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving's shift to a vegan diet is a recent change but the benefits are already showing. After a summer where he forced a move away from the Cavs and LeBron James, Kyrie has been setting the hoops on fire at the Celtics and leading them to an NBA best 16-2 start to the season. Kyrie has been a better player this season than we have ever seen him and that is a remarkable feat.
Having always been a fast-paced player with amazing handles, the only complain fans had against him was his lack of consistency. That has not been a problem this season with the terrific effort by Irving in every game that has especially stood out given the absence of fellow superstar Gordon Hayward. Kyrie credits his newfound consistency to adopting a vegan diet that he says has done wonders for his energy level and improving the overall health of his body.
Guess the Lakers players!
