After a two year layoff, Klay Thompson’s return to the NBA is imminent. The three-time champion and five-time All Star has been out of commission for almost two and a half years after a series of injuries, but by all accounts the missing half of the Golden State Warriors’ Splash Brothers is going to be hitting the court again soon. When that time comes, the Western Conference is going to be on notice.
In the meantime though, Klay remains passionate about boating, his Instagram-famous dog Rocco, and food. He recently partnered with Uber Eats and Shake Shack to get in on the trend of celebrity endorsed fast-food orders: The “Klay Trey” comes with a chicken sandwich, fries, and a chocolate shake. Ahead of his upcoming return to the court, Thompson spoke with GQ about how injury rehab and the pandemic affected his diet, cold-water therapy, and why you shouldn’t eat burgers before a boat day.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and everyone in between about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: You’re coming out of a two-year injury layoff with a pandemic right in the middle of it. Between that and the rehab process, how has the way you approach your diet changed since we last saw you on the court?
Klay Thompson: During the pandemic you couldn't eat out. So the best I could do was meal prep for me, at least. Going through rehab I didn’t want to have a fatty diet with lots of sugar, bread, carbohydrates—all the good stuff. You don't want to do that on a daily basis. So for me, it was just about being smart with my meal preps and working with the chef to get in every nutritional food group and give me the energy I needed to power through daily workouts. But my diet has been pretty good for years. You just figure out what works for you and try to limit those cheat days.
What does breakfast look like for you these days?
I usually get scrambled eggs and maybe a smoothie. I don't like to eat a huge breakfast before I run up and down the court, but these last two years been difficult because I've been through so many stages of rehab. I've been immobilized many times and you’ve got to scale back because you're not burning nearly the amount of carbs or calories. So for me, it was just being proportional and having reasonable amounts of food at the table. As I work out more, the portions get a little bigger, but it took a lot of discipline to scale back the last two years.
Between PT and workouts, what does your fitness regimen look like after you’re finished with breakfast?
Right after breakfast, I take a 20 minute grace period just to relax and let my food digest. After that I will go right into physical therapy. After 30 minutes of being on a table and doing that type of body work I will go to practice right from there.
What do you do to recover after practice, both in terms of food and physical care?
I'm really a big believer in cold water therapy. Swimming in the cold or doing an ice bath, anything like that shocks your system and fills your internal organs up with blood and gets the blood flowing. That’s been my biggest remedy for like those dog days during the season, that and sleep. If you want to play 40 minutes a night, you gotta. I just discovered that in the last few years. I love the water— the ocean has been such a huge source for recovery for me. But I truly believe everyone should do [cold water therapy] just like, five or ten minutes every day.
Speaking of sleep, how many hours are you trying to get each night?
At least eight, but if I get six or seven, I'll be okay. I’ll just need that pre-game nap.
Let’s move on to lunch. What’s on the menu in the afternoon?
I try to keep lunch lighter with a lot of greens and a source of protein. I have to cut out a lot of fun stuff, so no more burgers, no more fries. These days it’s probably a lettuce wrap burger with a salad. I've been really into kombucha too. We got that on tap at the Warriors facility and it's so good for your digestion.
What’s the difference between dinner on a game day and dinner on a day off?
On a game night you don't eat until after the game. Usually it's around 10, 10:30 and I mean, you burn so many calories at that point so that's when I go big. I go with carbs like potatoes and either a steak, a chicken breast, or even pasta. You really go crazy after a game.
But the night before a game, it's a lot more mellow. It's big on fish, rice, and broccoli. It doesn't feel as heavy when you digest it. You just want to feel real light going to sleep and waking up. You don't want to feel lethargic. When you get to your thirties, diet is everything. It's just like getting your shots up. It's really that important.
You just partnered with ShakeShack and UberEats on the Klay’s Tray. Even with your cheat meals being more limited these days, what are you going for when you cut loose on some junk food besides that particular order?
I mean, Shake Shack is really good. I’m always down for pizza. I love Japanese food, surf and turf, burgers, and barbecue. Taco Tuesday, I’m always down for that. Man, I'm just really a foodie at heart. I love to eat. It's still hard to pinpoint one cheat meal. It's like going to a candy store and asking me to just pick one thing out.
You’re one of the more notable boating enthusiasts in basketball. What are you putting in the picnic basket for a day out on the water?
You want to eat light. Do not eat a greasy heavy meal before you get a boat because you’re gonna get seasick. I took my cousins out a couple summers ago and my brother gave them burgers. That was the worst decision. Everybody yacked. Don’t learn the hard way. So for me, a good boat meal would just be like celery sticks and carrot sticks, maybe some crab cakes. A bottle of rosé is always nice, just refreshing and classy. For the meal portion, I love seafood. It just makes sense. I don't want to blow up the spot but I always hit Sam's Anchor Cafe in the Bay. They’ve got such a great menu of seafood to go along with your boating experience.
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By Christopher Cason