Kyrie Irving has been on fire to start the season. His numbers have been solid — his 20.6 points per game are actually slightly below his career average — but he looked like he’s settled into the role of being Boston’s superstar well. This hasn’t just been something that’s popped up on offense, as Irving looks more engaged on the defensive side of the floor than he’s ever looked.
As for why this is the case, you could speculate that it’s because he’s relished the opportunity to be the man in Beantown. Or, if you ask Irving, it might be due to his brand new vegan diet.
Tom Haberstroh did a story for Bleacher Report on the vegan revolution that is sweeping the NBA. A number of players, including Irving, have decided to cut animals out of their diets completely. Irving mentioned to ESPN after a preseason game that he felt great because he managed to get “away from animals,” and he told Haberstroh that he doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s playing well after changing his diet.
So, is it possible that the secret to Irving’s hot start is…that he’s gone vegan? B/R Mag asked him just that.
“I think we can credit that in the win column,” Irving told me after the Hawks game, rocking a gray sweatshirt inside a slim-tailored navy suit. “We lost the first two games, won the last nine games. I haven’t changed any diet. I don’t plan on changing anything in my diet. It’s working out great so far.”
Other players who have gone vegan include Damian Lillard and Enes Kanter. Additionally, Irving is joined in Boston’s locker room by Jaylen Brown, whose diet has never included red meat or pork. While he plans on becoming a vegan by the time he turns 25, Brown has been a vegetarian since college.
But Irving absolutely had the most unique take on the benefits of switching to a plant-based diet, as he is wont to do on just about any subject. The Celtics guard said that cutting animal products out of his diet “works,” and that “Once you become awake, you don’t see that stuff anymore.”
(Via Bleacher Report)
