Mike Conley Jr. finally spoke out about the drastic lifestyle changes he had to make to continue playing at a high level for the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the Conference Finals matchup between the OKC Thunder and Timberwolves currently underway, Conley is one of the oldest players remaining in contention.
The 37-year-old guard entered the league with the fourth pick of the 2007 NBA Draft and is one of the few from that draft class still competing at a high level. During a recent interview, Conley was questioned about the challenges that came with performing as an ageing star.
Mike Conley Jr. Discusses His Diet and Training Regimen
While most young and upcoming stars in the league possess the innate ability to heal rapidly and bounce back from injuries, the same cannot be said about veterans who are over 35 years old and approaching the final stages of their careers.
Although Conley has admitted a desire to play for 20 seasons, he has had to invest a significant amount of time and money in maintaining his health and fitness. Not only does Conley attempt to throw down a dunk before every Timberwolves game to prove to himself that he “still has it,” but the NBA veteran also had to make serious changes to his diet.
“I stopped eating red meat about eight years ago. I did blood work and my body was deficient in some things, and less of some things. And the red meat was one of them. Something I do every day is I wake up around the same time at 7:30 (a.m.).
“I won’t eat until later until after 11 a.m. I drink water. It’s almost like a mini fast. I won’t eat after dinner, and dinner is like 6:30 p.m. I try not to eat anything from that point until the next morning.”
Conley continued to explain how changing his diet helped him on the court, “I try to extend that until after I get done with treatment and working out. I try to have a meal right then. I do a good job of cleansing my gut and my stomach. You got to get to healing from the inside-out at my age. Cut down the inflammation that causing pain and slowing you down at 35, 36, 37 years old.”
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Ensuring that his diet and nutrition were treated as a top priority has helped Conley extend his career much longer than many might have expected. Since he is one of the oldest players in the league who has yet to win an NBA championship, this season might just be his last chance to do so. Fans are left wondering if the efforts that he has put into maintaining his body will aid in the Timberwolves’ hopes of winning a title.
