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The first team to take up residence at the N.B.A. bubble in July was one of the first to be assigned a road trip last week. The Orlando Magic on Thursday afternoon boarded a team flight for the first time since March and made the short journey to Atlanta to jump-start a season like no other. Upon arrival, Orlando’s 47-passenger contingent — including two coronavirus testers — was divided up and ushered onto four separate buses to maximize social distancing. Players were reminded to avoid the hotel gift shop and crowded elevators and were instructed to stay on the hotel property, apart from visits to a nearby Whole Foods Market. “I don’t know if it’s going to be like that all season long,” Orlando’s Evan Fournier said in a phone interview. “I still don’t know what I’m really allowed to do. I guess that’s what the preseason is for.”
On the AAU front, James hopes that his advice from his years of experience as a player and parent provides parents and young athletes with a better grasp of the multiple developmental options out there and the many consequences of trusting the wrong people. “The best programs are the EYBL. There’s no question about it,” James told Yahoo Sports. “They play one or two games a day. It’s the off-brand tournaments [that are the problem]. It’s those tournaments in those small cities. There’s no Whole Foods in those small cities. Those kids are eating McDonald’s, bro. They’re eating bad, and they’re playing five, six games a day. Come on, man. That’s what it is.”
Though it’s not unusual for an athlete to have a late-career surge, the reason for McGee’s is: his began when he gave up meat. “I was in Dallas and I had gained weight and knew becoming a vegetarian was the quickest way to lose it,” he said. “I just wasn’t sure if I could do it.” It was 2015, and he was a bench player for the Mavericks struggling to find minutes. A trip to Whole Foods led to his discovery of a plant-based culinary company by the name of Beyond Meat — and with it, renewed energy.
THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I just saw @JoelEmbiid dunking on some trash-talking fools in the park near Whole Foods on South St. 😂 #crying #sixers (cc: @SpikeEskin @Michael_Levin)
Consider the happy travails of shopping for groceries as perhaps the most easily spotted professional basketball player in town. Marjanovic usually tries to go to Whole Foods early in the morning to avoid attention. Sometimes, he goes elsewhere. “At H-E-B,” Marjanovic said, “people start to watch and say, ‘Heeeey! This is Boban!”
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"I think guys are becoming more aware," said Allen, who began following a modified Paleolithic diet after the Heat won their second straight NBA title in June. "... When you start eating the salads and the proteins and fruits – in Whole Foods, I kill the fruit and vegetables section – you just feel so much fresher and cleaner."
Those numbers actually are a decrease to his similar average (16.2 points on 57.4 percent shooting, 12.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game). But Howard has shown improvement in his conditioning, defense and pick-and-roll execution. His progress since the All-Star break three weeks ago starts with his diet. He's stripped away candy in favor of Whole Foods. "All the sugar is bad for us," Howard said. "It causes us to get fatigued." Howard said he changed his pregame preparation. "You go home and, despite playing video games, I just thought about what we're trying to accomplish as a team," Howard said. "I really want to win a championship. That's the reason why I'm in L.A. Me and the trainers talked about ways I could get myself into better shape."
“I feel bad for him,” teammate J.J. Redick said. “I trust Turk. I’ve known him a long time, so if he says it was an accident, I believe him.” But Redick also said players have to be careful these days. “There’s some stuff at Whole Foods that I don’t put in my body,” he said. “They have DHEA supplements there. They have all sorts of supplements there. . . . There’s a million things we’re not allowed to take, and he took responsibility for it. It’s his fault. You have to do your due diligence before you put anything in your body.”
J.J. Redick was asked about Howard’s future this morning on the Open Mike show on 740 AM. “I’m tired of it, to be honest with you,” Redick said. “I go to the airport, I go to Publix, I go to Whole Foods, I go to the movies, and everybody seems to want to know, is Dwight staying or going? And I tell them I know as much as you do, and that’s the truth. I don’t think he has any reason to be rushed in any decision, and I think he also understands the ramifications it has on the Magic organization.”