Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert credits diet for his successful career

MINNEAPOLIS – Rudy Gobert passed a long table of food outside the Miami Heat’s locker room that had a variety of typical choices on his way out of the Target Center.

While famished after a win, the Minnesota Timberwolves center patiently waited to go home for a postgame meal from his personal chef that fits his heathy daily diet. There was not going to be a celebratory glass of wine or a spirit, either.

Gobert has played in 69 of the Timberwolves’ 72 games and is on pace to reach 70 games played for the fourth consecutive season. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year credits his pristine diet as a key reason for his health and longevity during his basketball career.

“It’s a big part of it. It impacts you short term, but more than short term it impacts your long term,” Gobert told Andscape. “A lot of the injuries or things that happen to the body are linked to inflammation. So, what you eat is going to heal you or slowly kill you. There’s no in-between.

“So, if you eat food that nourishes you, that removes inflammation [from] your body, obviously you’re giving your joints, your muscles, your tendons, all your cells — you’re giving them opportunity to recover better. So, obviously you lengthen your career and your life.”

Gobert is 33 and is close to playing 900 career games in his 13-year NBA career. At 7-foot-1 and 258 pounds, he’s averaging 11 points, 11.5 rebounds (fourth in the NBA) and 1.6 blocks (sixth) per game this season. A three-time NBA All-Star, he doesn’t have plans to retire anytime soon. Gobert, All-Star Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves have NBA title aspirations after advancing to the Western Conference finals the past two seasons. They will face the Houston Rockets on ESPN tonight (9:30 p.m. ET).

Minnesota (44-28) is competing with the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets for the fourth seed in the West playoffs. The Timberwolves are 5-5 in their past 10 games, but they’re coming off a surprising win at Boston on Sunday without Edwards, who was out with knee inflammation for the fourth straight game.

“Every day I think about winning a championship,” Gobert said. “We know what is holding us back. It’s really on us to work on that and get that s— done.”

Gobert’s healthy diet was initially inspired from a nutritionist who spoke to the Cholet Basket junior team he played for as a teen. The San Quentin, France, native said that was his first education on nutrition. So, after Gobert suffered an ankle injury during his last season with Cholet Basket in 2012-13, he heeded the nutritionist’s advice to invest in a chef despite not making much in salary at the time.

“It was early in my career. Nutrition was very important to the way I play, the way I recover,” Gobert said. “Being a skinny player, very early on I had to do a lot of work getting some good weight, some muscle. Even before the draft, I got a chef. It was just a lady that was coming to my place to cook in Chalet.

“I was paying her $1,000 a month. It was a big part of my salary back then, but I realized that it was a good investment. And now, obviously being curious about nutrition, I keep learning. And it’s incredible how important it is what you put in your body for an athlete, for anyone.”

Gobert’s height, game, potential and nutrition regimen played a role in him being selected 27th overall in the 2013 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, with his rights being acquired by the Utah Jazz. He made a point to continue his healthy path when he came to the NBA, and he’s on “another level” now 13 seasons in. Gobert says he has a nutritionist, a full-time chef and a naturopathic doctor, who combines modern scientific knowledge with traditional, natural and non-toxic therapies.

Gobert says a big key to his health is eating “real foods” and staying away from processed foods. Eating “ultra-processed foods on a regular basis increases a person’s risk of health complications, including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, obesity and Type 2 diabetes,” according to the American Medical Association. Gobert says family income certainly can play a role in what people can afford to eat, but “knowledge is power” when it comes to making healthy food choices.

“Obviously, in America it’s much harder, right?” Gobert said. “A lot of it is connected to your income. Fast food in America is cheaper than real food. So, a lot of people don’t really have a choice. They still have a choice whether they want to drink soda or they want to drink water. Or people want to eat bad snacks or they want to just eat meals. So, it’s just knowledge. We have to all individually … just always be curious about what you put in your body because this impacts your whole life. And I don’t think it takes away the pleasure, because a lot of times people think because you’re healthy, you don’t enjoy it. I enjoy every meal I have. …

“I’m not particular in terms of the meals and stuff, but I am particular in terms of only eating real food. In America, it’s a little harder, but we try to make sure that we source everything from as clean as possible. I think he’s [personal chef] been paying off over time. Those types of things, they pay off. You see the results over years.”

Gobert says his diet has also had an impact on his family and friends. They have told him that they feel better after staying at his home. Gobert added that he has been particular about the food that his two young children eat to aid their physical and mental development.

The way Gobert sees it — for him, his family, friends and children — education is the key to a smart diet.

“People think being healthy is about taking a million supplements and all that knowledge. A lot of times it’s just knowledge, just being aware of what you put in your body and for kids, especially the first three years of their life,” Gobert said. “It’s very important what they put in their body. And it affects their behavior, it affects their brain, their immune system. And we don’t get taught none of that stuff.

“There are a lot of amazing people now in the world that I think [are] just educating about nutrients, what you put in your body, what you shouldn’t put in your body, and then it’s about doing your best to what you have.”

So, what’s a typical game day meal plan for Gobert?

For breakfast, Gobert says he loves to have eggs and avocado, a glass of warm water and fresh squeezed fruit juice with carrot, ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper included. He doesn’t eat pork. He typically will eat grass fed steak on a regular basis, but not on game day. He also enjoys whole wheat pasta and fish for lunch and/or pregame.

While disciplined, Gobert adds that eating is “pleasure” for him as he “really enjoys food.” He occasionally cheats with his favorite desserts.

“The discipline, everyone’s got layers. We all got layers,” Gobert said. “I used to love eating desserts all the time. I don’t eat as much, but I know that if I eat a dessert once in a while, it’s fine. I don’t drink any alcohol anymore at all. I stopped drinking a year ago. It’s just a spiritual thing. So, I’m challenging myself on these things. And I’m probably happier than I’ve ever been right now. And I’m eating less snacks. That is the beauty of discipline. It’s like taking away the short-term pleasure for a deeper happiness, a deeper accomplishment. …

“The way you fuel your body impacts the way you sleep, the way you think, the way you perform, your immune system. It impacts everything. So, if I’m putting in so much work every day to perfect my craft, this is part of it. This is the power of yourself. The one thing with me is I really believe in the power of nature and for doing things as naturally as possible.”

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