Having a routine is important for a number of athletes, especially on the day of a game. The most famous example of this comes from the world of baseball, where Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs made it a point to make sure he ate chicken before every game.
When it comes to having a routine, few people do it better than Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson. During a media session on Thursday, Clarkson was asked about a ritual he might follow on gamedays, and his response was fantastic.
Clarkson says his routine is “whatever.” The specific example he gave includes consuming fried chicken and candy, napping, and playing video games. Then, when he’s done with all of the stuff you would not expect to hear from a professional athlete on gameday, he goes and suits up for the Lakers.
So, I asked Jordan Clarkson about his pregame routine today, and it did not disappoint… pic.twitter.com/zFNbTEhHn1
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) November 16, 2017
Other than the “play professional basketball” bit, this reads like what you would do if you were in high school, it was the weekend, and you didn’t have to worry about money or your parents getting on you for doing non-productive things all day.
The craziest part is that Clarkson has been solid this season — he leads the Lakers in scoring (15.8 points per game, a career high) and PER (21.2, also a career high). Maybe there’s something to this routine.
