Gradey Dick focusing on nutrition as NBA career begins

The 2023 NBA Draft is right around the corner kicking off this Thursday, June 22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. A group of young NBA hopefuls will figure out their future home including former Kansas Jayhawks forward Gradey Dick. Dick declared for the NBA Draft following an impressive freshman season at Kansas, as the 19-year-old will now look to take his talents to the next level.

Dick recently sat down with NBA insider Shams Charania ahead of the draft and was asked what his main focus will be these next few months heading into his first NBA season, and his answer may surprise some people.

“I think there’s a ton of important things you can do on the court obviously with just getting better and getting more prepared for my rookie season, but I think off the court what I’m just trying to maintain is really just the nutrition part of everything,” Dick said.

Staying in the gym and improving one’s game is a given for most NBA prospects, but Dick is thinking a step ahead, already focusing his attention on his health and longevity in the league.

The 6-foot-8 forward brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and shooting ability to the table that stands out in this year’s draft class, averaging 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 44.2% shooting from the field, 40.3% from three-point range, and 85.4% from the free throw line last season for the Jayhawks.

But Dick knows that in order to have his game translate to the next level he’ll have to take his health and nutrition as seriously as his competition and peers do.

“I’ve learned a lot about some helpful things of what really goes into keeping your body right,” Dick said. “You learn a lot about how much the guys take spending money on diets and chefs and everything like that.”

NBA players, and professional athletes in general, have reworked the expectations regarding how long a player’s career can last in recent history. Players like LeBron James and Chris Paul are currently 38 years old and still performing at a high level, setting a new standard for the length of NBA careers.

“It’s cool to see the transformations that they make and just kind of the stuff a lot of people maybe pass over and see that you get your body right you can stay and play for a lot more years than you think you can. So keeping those little things in your head and just knowing they’re actually big in the end,” Dick concluded.

It’s never too early to start thinking about longevity, and hopefully, Dick can have a lengthy career in the league following the draft thanks to his attention to detail early on in his life.