John Wall says he was ‘fat’ coming into this season

John Wall admits that coming into this season, he was “fat.” But he has shed 15 pounds from his frame, seeking to make a push against the Toronto Raptors in the 2018 Eastern Conference Playoffs.

The Washington Wizards were without their starting point guard, John Wall, for a bulk of the NBA regular season. Wall only played in 41 games, but the Wizards did just enough to get in the playoffs. But, Wall has recently admitted that entering this season he wasn’t in the best shape.  He weighed 12 pounds more than his playing weight (222,) and attributed the weight gain to eating shrimp fried rice and drinking chocolate milk, according to the Washington Post.

"Wall started his eighth season fresh off the most rigorous summer of his career. For all that training, he craved shrimp fried rice, chugged chocolate milk despite being lactose intolerant and even treated himself to steaks once in a while. His weight, listed at 210 pounds, crept up to 222.In late January, surgery to clean up his left knee sidelined Wall. After eight weeks of rehabilitation, the five-time all-star returned to the starting lineup with a remolded body. Wall has dropped almost 15 pounds, according to his estimation and his personal chef."

Wall’s new-and-improved body must see if it can help pull off the upset against the Toronto Raptors. The Wizards are the eighth seed and need the Wall and Bradley Beal dynamic to show up now more than ever. But had Wall not taken care of his body during rehab, what chances would the Wizards have? Not much.

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Wall taking care of his body during his time away from the team shows the importance of self-care for an athlete. Eating the foods that taste good sounds good on paper, it does more harm than good in the end. Luckily, Wall took care of his body and dropped the additional weight, which may lead Wall toward being more effective in the post-season.