As an athlete at the top of his game and a father to three kids, NBA All-Star DeAndre Jordan is looking for every edge to help him play better and live longer.
In an interview with The Cool Down, Jordan credited his plant-based diet as the foundation for his successful career, which he tracks through regular bloodwork and nutrition consultation.
Jordan was drafted at age 19, and he grew up on "a lot of Texas barbeque and fast food as a young athlete." But as he got older, he started thinking more about how he was fueling his body. "I got into my diet and how I wanted to preserve my career and have every advantage possible," he told The Cool Down.
As he started traveling the world, being introduced to new foods led him to "going plant-based and vegan for seven years."
When he first made the switch, he said he liked the way it made him feel. "I felt cleaner, I felt lighter," he said.
And now in his 18th season playing basketball, this time for the New Orleans Pelicans, "I can't help but think that my diet had a lot to do with my body being healthy and preventing inflammation and potential injuries," crediting his diet for being able "to have a long, great, standing career."
The three-time All-NBA and two-time NBA All-Defensive Team member helped the Denver Nuggets win the NBA championship in 2023. Jordan spent 10 seasons playing for the Los Angeles Clippers before playing with the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers throughout his career. He twice led the NBA in rebounding and was named an NBA All-Star in 2017, and he won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics as a member of the U.S. Olympic team.
To optimize his body's performance, Jordan told The Cool Down he tracks his health with regular blood tests every year, "to make sure that I'm having every advantage possible to not only my career, but to my health in general, and my longevity, because I have three young children now, and I want to make sure that I'm able to run around with them … and be active with them as long as I possibly can."
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Never 🥩 Alongside a nutritionist, Jordan looks at his blood work for any sensitivities or inflammation and tracks his heart health and testosterone levels. "I don't want to see any dips when it comes to my health and my performance," he said.
In fact, a new 11-year study published in The Lancet Health Longevity following over 400,000 adults in six European countries found that a plant-based diet could reduce cancer, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.
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But while Jordan is passionate about his own decision, he says it's an individual choice, and he says even small changes can make a big difference for health and the planet.
"I respect everybody's decision to do what they want to do, whether you're a herbivore or you're carnivore, that's fine," he said. "I don't believe that if you're not vegan and you eat meat that you're a bad person."
However, he added, "I do think that once people see the impacts that their choices are having on the environment and our planet, then they start to realize that, 'Oh, wow, maybe I could do this meatless Monday thing,' and even if you're doing it one day, the amount of the impact on the environment changes dramatically."
Eating less meat — especially red and processed meat — can also have a huge impact on the environment by producing less planet-warming pollution and using less water to produce.
Jordan has become a vocal advocate for eating a plant-based diet as a high-performance athlete, even showcasing his love for innovative and creative meals through a cooking show and investments in innovative food companies like Beyond Meat and Just Egg, an egg alternative.
His favorite plant-based meals? "There's a spicy meatball dish that we enjoy making ... kimchi fried rice, I really, really love, because it's easy and it's tasteful. Last night I actually made some portobello mushroom fajitas, which were great, and I had a cashew cream sauce," he said.
Not only is his plant-based lifestyle healthy and delicious, but it also aligns with his values to be more sustainable in all aspects of his life. Jordan is also known for sustainable fashion, shopping for vintage or thrifted items to get a unique look, and reducing his consumption of single-use plastic.
"I've learned so much more about the food that I put into my body, about the environment and the impact that I have on it with not only my diet choices, but with what I eat and what I drink and what I wear," he said. "I'm still learning to this day, and I just want to do my part at the small things that make a big difference."
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