The chicken wings in the locker room are disappearing. Superstars are getting faster and leaner. If the “skinny ball” is here to stay, could vegetarianism be the game-changer that ignites a revolution in performance?The well-kept secret diet As Kyrie Irving steps up to the line for two free throws, the M-V-P chants envelop him. The audience roars in approval from every angle of the arena as the point guard finishes off a 35-point masterpiece against the Atlanta Hawks.When the home team’s star has a great night, this type of hero worship is typical. Except that Kyrie is playing away from home. It’s Atlanta, not Boston, where the Celtics are playing.
Irving really is that talented. He darts and dazzles his way through Atlanta double-teams from beginning to end, looking like a cross between Houdini and the Harlem Globetrotter. He’s brilliant in the last stretch. Irving helps his new club ice the game by outscoring the Hawks the rest of the way after they go up 100-99 with 3:07 left. He picks his Nikes up off the ground and hands them to a mass of delighted supporters.At this point, LeBron James takes out his phone and lights up the basketball world.James feels driven to write “Mood…” into his Instagram and shares the meme of Arthur the Aardvark’s closed fist following the M-V-P shouts for Irving.
Regardless of whether LeBron was trying to give Kyrie a hint or not, the post makes it obvious that Irving is at the top of the basketball world as of November 2017.Although it may be too soon to discuss Irving’s MVP prospects, Kyrie seems to be different right now. His already slender figure is significantly more trimmed—almost gargantuan. But it’s not only the Hawks that he’s outlasting.Irving has never looked more animated as he has in late-game scenarios when other players are exhausted. His numbers are unbelievable thus far this season in clutch circumstances (games within five in the last five minutes). He has scored 41 points on 57 percent shooting in 24 minutes of play, dishing out seven assists and committing no turnovers. That’s right, 41 points in roughly a half of basketball.Many NBA fans who follow health issues and basketball have taken notice of this development. Why? Following an ESPN preseason match, Irving made an interesting announcement that caught Chauncey Billups and the NBA Countdown team off guard. They noted how much…thinner he looked:
“Been on more of a plant-based diet, getting away from the animals and all that,” Irving told the broadcast team. “I had to get away from that. So my energy is up; my body feels amazing.”
So, is it possible that the secret to Irving’s hot start is…that he’s gone vegan? B/R Mag asked him just that.
“I think we can credit that in the win column,” Irving told me after the Hawks game, rocking a gray sweatshirt inside a slim-tailored navy suit. “We lost the first two games, won the last nine games. I haven’t changed any diet. I don’t plan on changing anything in my diet. It’s working out great so far.”