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The Real-Life Diet of Kristaps Porzingis, Who Can't Wait to Play Basketball Again

The 7'3" Knicks superstar overhauled his diet while recovering from a torn ACL, and feels leaner and more energetic than ever.

Kristaps Porzingis is hungry. To play basketball again, yes, after tearing his ACL in February 2018, just a few weeks after earning his first NBA All-Star nod. He is also literally hungry, though. Not quite to the extent as he was back in 2015, when the 7'3" rookie would stuff his face with anything and everything in a desperate attempt to bulk up. But hungry enough, thanks to a new low-carb, high-protein diet in which he’s given up dairy—including cottage cheese, a food he adores—to become a spryer, leaner, and more energetic version of himself on the court.

As he continues to rehab his knee with an eye on returning to the Knicks later this season, the still-just-23-year-old Porzingis took a few minutes to share with us what the last year of recovery has taught him about himself—and the one food for which he'll still break the rules.


GQ: I want to take you back to 2015, shortly after you were drafted. I read that you were eating at least 5,000 calories and downing somewhere around three steaks a day. How does your diet now compare to then?

Kristaps Porzingis: It has changed completely. The stuff I know now—I didn’t know 10 percent of it back then. I’m still having a lot of calories, but my diet now is low-carb and high-protein. I work out on an empty stomach, so I’m fasting in the morning, and that’s really gotten my energy levels up.

My whole life has been about trying to put on weight because I’m so skinny, but at the same time, I used to eat five or six meals a day, and I would just feel sloppy. You’re eating so much that your body is digesting food all the time, and you don’t really have energy. I’ve changed that. I eat three times a day, big meals, and give myself more time in between each one. It’s a big, big difference—I feel way better.

As you’re waiting to be cleared for basketball activities, have there been any challenges with keeping weight off? Or is your presumably-insane metabolism taking care of that?

Yeah, that’s just how my body is—I can live normally and eat normally and still get skinnier. I have to eat a lot to stay on top of that. For skinny guys, it’s just how our metabolism is, I guess. Right now, I can focus more on the rehab. I'm eating clean, and making sure I have enough energy to work out multiple times a day.

What does eating clean involve?

I’ll have a coffee in the morning first thing, before I work out. I’ll have my first meal around noon. That will be high in protein and good fats, and very low in carbs—sometimes even no carbs. Avocado or salmon, tuna, all that kind of stuff. After that, I’ll rest, and I’ll have my second meal around 3:00 or 4:00. It’s kind of the same stuff—maybe a few more carbs. At night, I’ll have a similar meal. I’ll take vitamins and supplements on top of that. No sugars, and almost no dairy products.

What’s your favorite unhealthy food you still sneak in?

I love Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Which kind?

The one with the cookie—what’s it called?

Cookies and cream?

No, no. What do you call the substance before you cook the cookie?

Cookie dough.

Yes! Oh my God, it’s so fire. That’s one of my favorite things to eat when I’m cheating.


Watch:

Kristaps Porzingis Gets Interviewed… While Playing 1-on-1

See the video.

You were diagnosed with anemia when you were a teenager. Does that whole chapter feel like a distant memory now, or is it something you’re still watching out for?

It’s long gone, but it’s always something I keep in the back of my mind. Iron is something I burn very quickly, especially in stressful situations. When something is going on, it’s not only physical, it’s mental. That’s what I’ve learned. Whenever my mind is going 100 miles an hour, that’s when I burn more iron and feel more fatigued and sleepy. Now, it's at good levels, but I never want to get back to that place I was in.

I’ve also learned how important the mental part is. That’s how I got into meditation, and learning how to breathe, and to disconnect my mind in situations where there’s too much going on, especially living in New York City. I have someone come to my house and guide me through meditation a few times a week.

Can you walk through what a typical day is like, rehab-wise?

It’s hard to say what a typical day is like. Sometimes I have workouts where the knee doesn’t feel as good. Mentally, that’s the most difficult part, because you want to keep going and you want to do more, but there’s something holding you back, because you shouldn’t push it too much. I’m always trying to be smart and patient with it, but at some point, you get anxious and antsy.

I’m already doing some contact drills, and things where I’m competing against somebody. It’s good that it’s coming to an end, but in many ways, it’s been a blessing in disguise. I’ve learned so much about my body and myself. My vision is much clearer on many, many things.

Have you conferred with teammates or other guys who’ve gone through something like this about how to handle the mental side of rehab?

No, not really. Everybody’s situation is different. I never felt sorry for myself or sorry about what happened. It is what it is, you know what I mean? I come in here every day and do my work—I’ll have bad days and better days, but I’ll get my work done. That’s not the hard part. The hard part is not being able to compete. Now that it’s getting closer, I can taste it. I’m trying to stay patient. The day will come.

Has any part of this recovery process, and/or of the exercises you’re doing, made a specific part of your body stronger?

Of course, of course. A big part of this rehab is not only my knee, but also stability in my core, my hips, my feet, and my ankles. I want to be strong—not only big and heavy, but also compact, explosive, and athletic. I can feel the improvements just by doing the exercises. I’m excited to finally show that on the court.

You spent the summer training in Spain at the Real Madrid facilities, and also at home in Latvia. What made you choose those locations?

I wanted to get closer to home, so I wanted to be in Europe when the season was over. Real Madrid was the best place over there for my knee and my rehab. I had already lived in Spain before, too, so I was comfortable there. And then I went home to Latvia, where I’m the most comfortable, and I just kind of disconnected from everything else and locked in on the rehab. I ate clean, slept well, and didn’t worry about anything else going on.

You know I have to ask: Do you want to break any news about your return in this interview?

[laughs] No, I have nothing to give you. I wish I could, but it’s not in my hands. Whenever they clear me, I’m going to be back.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.