UrbanUpdate

Kawhi Leonard is typically a man of few words, which actually makes him the perfect star to lead a post–Tim Duncan Spurs team. (And now he’s even getting some MVP contention.) Also fitting: His diet mirrors that same no-nonsense attitude. Grill up some chicken, toss in some vegetables, and you’re good to go! Don’t make it any harder than it needs to be. Kawhi’s only real concern: making sure he doesn’t have to rush off to the bathroom during a TV timeout.

GQ: I’m catching you right in the midst of an eight-game road trip. How hard is it to keep a consistent diet when you’re away from home and in a different city every night?Kawhi Leonard: You definitely have to be focused in on it, but it’s difficult trying to eat something that’s good for you on the road. We usually have a nutritionist who will let us know what we should eat and what we shouldn’t eat from the hotel menus. She looks all of that over for us throughout the whole year.

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That’s an incredible resource to have. So what is your usual go-to meal when you land in a new city?I just try to stay away from beef and pork. I’ll try to get something like grilled chicken or fish. Something like that with some vegetables.

I know that there are some athletes who travel a lot who rely on places like Chipotle or Subway when they’re on the road. Is there somewhere like that you’ll go if you need a quick meal?I try to go to hole-in-the-wall sandwich places if I do need something quick. Someplace fresh and healthy, like a juice bar. There aren’t really any household names that I go to.

More local establishments?Mhmm. Exactly.

You always get a better feel for whatever city you’re in when you go that route.Yeah, for sure. You could go to Subway anywhere, even in your own hometown.

When you are in San Antonio and you have more options around you, do you have a routine that you’re into? Or are you a guy who will eat whatever you feel like eating on any given day?I pretty much keep it free when it comes to that. I don’t eat the same meal or at the same time every single day. You get tired of that real quick. I just try to make sure whatever I’m eating is fresh and clean and good for my body. That’s about it.

A few years back, I actually had some of the most insanely delicious pancakes of my life in San Antonio. Those probably don’t fall into the category of “fresh and clean and good for my body,” though.Nah. I rarely eat breakfast because of our schedule, actually. If I do, though, I’ll try to do an egg-white omelet with some bell peppers and mushrooms. Maybe a side of a bunch of different fruits.

Playing for the Spurs, you’re typically making pretty deep runs into the playoffs. You tend to have a longer season than some other teams in the league. Does that force you to make any changes to your diet the deeper into the season it gets?It depends. As the season goes on into the playoffs, sometimes you do lose a little bit more weight. I usually just try to see where my weight is at and either add more vegetables or proteins to my meals to get my weight where I want it to be.

The Spurs are pretty renowned in every aspect as an organization. Have you picked up any tips from the staff members or the nutritionists you work with that have helped out your career?You know, there’s definitely a big difference from college into the league. Being in college, you don’t have the money to even get organic foods or eat only organic vegetables, organic drinks. You really just go with what you have in front of you. And the college I was at, we were a mid-major, so we didn’t really have all the perks and stuff like that other teams might have. We ended up eating a lot of fast food. Obviously, the NBA is different. This is a professional job, and they want you to play at your highest level. So I’ve learned a ton being with the Spurs just about basic nutrition.

Was that a tough transition, going from college to the league?It was actually pretty easy, because I really didn’t enjoy eating fast food, especially as I got older. It just didn’t taste good to me. I’ve always liked home-cooked meals. And my mom moved to San Antonio my rookie year and would cook for me, so it was an easy transition.

There’s nothing like mom cooking you a good meal, right?Nothing. Plus, I wanted to better my eating habits before I even got drafted. That summer, there was a lockout, so I had a long time to get everything situated. It was like a four- or five-month wait until I was actually able to be seen by the Spurs. So learning throughout that entire time about good eating habits was a key.

As someone who used to play basketball, I’ve always been interested by whether or not professional players eat right before a game. I was the type of player who was sort of superstitious about it. I didn’t like to eat anything within two hours before a game. Then I had teammates chowing down on something right before warm-ups. Where do you fall in that spectrum?I definitely don’t like to eat a lot before I play. I don’t like to play on a full stomach. Sometimes, if I’m feeling hungry before a game, I’ll eat one of those protein bars, but that’s it.

Something that’ll give you energy but doesn’t weigh you down?Exactly.

That was always the big thing for me. There’s nothing worse than when you’re running up and down and jumping and you feel like there is something in your stomach.Yeah, you got guys in the locker room who will be eating a whole sandwich or something. They want to feel heavy or something, I guess.

Nope, not for me. I wasn’t trying to go to the bathroom during the second quarter. Like, you’ve got other things to be worried about out there. I never wanted to feel like I had to shit my pants.Yeah, I definitely understand that.

One last question, just so we’re not leaving people with that mental image: Now that you’re a veteran in the league, do you have any advice, nutrition-wise, for the young kids preparing to make the jump from college ball to the NBA?I’d just tell them to try to eat more fresh and natural foods. Eat organic products. Also, watch the type of water you’re drinking. Not all water is great for you. I drink a lot of water during the day, but I stay away from certain waters because their pH levels are low. Stick to alkaline waters with a higher pH. Trust me.

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