The Real-Life Diet of NBA Player Bam Adebayo, Who Likes a Pregame Peanut Butter and Jelly

This season, as his Miami Heat qualified for their third straight NBA play-in tournament, Bam Adebayo expanded his game. Standing six-foot-nine, weighing in at a muscular 260 pounds, Adebayo has spent most of his career in the low post. But this year—his eighth in the league—saw the 27-year-old venture behind the three-point line with more regularity. Known mostly for his defensive prowess, Adebayo attempted 2.8 threes per game during the 2024-25 campaign, well up from his career average of 0.6.

As Adebayo’s game evolves, so too does his life. Or maybe vice versa. He became an All-Star by blocking shots and stifling opponents at the rim, not focusing on offense. But that was the old Bam, who was still eating a lot of candy and getting pummeled by Australian brutes.

Now, he’s a full-on wellness devotee. A five-time member of an NBA All-Defense team (with another nod potentially on the way), Adebayo has to sculpt a body that can withstand all the carnage that comes with guarding the best athletes in the world. This led him to a partnership with BodyHealth, whose protein-focused supplements fueled him as he played the most minutes of his career. As any wellness head will tell you, though, it’s never just one thing. The Olympic gold medalist spoke to GQ about the importance of the sauna, learning from three GOATs in Paris, and the food that made its way from his childhood lunchbox to his NBA locker.

GQ: What are your keys to withstanding an 82-game season and making sure that your body is ready to go every night?

Bam Adebayo: My main things, honestly, are quality sleep, really drinking water, and taking care of your body as much as possible. So, not only working out on the court, but also getting in the gym and lifting, actually pushing your body to certain heights where, when you are in your weight room, it’s like, “Hey, I’m really hurting.” But when you’re out there on the court, you’re not as sore, you recover faster.

Do you track how much water you drink in a day? Do you have one of those bottles that tells you the amount you’ve had and how much more you still need to drink?

Yeah, I’m one of those people. The [bottle] that got the whole list. It starts at 7 am and then you drink down. It’s harder to try to gauge how much water you drink from trying to drink as many bottles as possible. If you give me a whole gallon, you can kind of space it out. You might need something to drink, you might want to snack, you might just be thirsty, and by the end of the day you’re like, dang, I really went through that gallon.

Do you have any go-to supplements that you swear by?

I wouldn’t say swear by, because I have a problem. I’ll forget to take them. But growing up in this league, you try to find things that are healthy for your body, and BodyHealth has products that are safe for athletes but also people that don’t play sports. The Greens and Reds are kind of good because it’s for the fruits and veggies. At certain times, you can’t get as many greens as you usually can, so you can make up for it [with the supplements].

Were there any moments in your career—whether it came naturally, or maybe you got some advice from a veteran player—when you really locked in to health and fitness?

My situation was actually self-inflicted. I had to learn from my own mistakes.

Hit me with the story.

I went to the University of Kentucky, and back then, that was when Kentucky was the staple when it came to guys going to the NBA. Behind the scenes, people didn’t realize—we were so good, but when we practiced, we practiced. It was conditioning, it was scrimmaging, going through the gauntlet every practice. For me as a 17, 18-year-old kid, I’m thinking I can eat bad because I conditioned so much. You can see where the story’s going.

I love Domino’s and Insomnia Cookies. I would get the thin crust pizza and two apple juices. On road games, sometimes when we would get back, the only thing open would be Insomnia and Domino’s. I just didn’t think about it. I was like, “Man, I’m just hungry and need to eat!” That was my vice. One game, I remember going out there and I felt so terrible. It honestly scarred me to the point where I didn’t eat Insomnia Cookies for five years. People think exercising does it all. No, it’s really what you eat.

It all starts in the kitchen.

I had to learn that firsthand. So, now, being in the NBA, I’m way more conscious. I don’t really eat sweets and cookies like that anymore, or candy. I’m just like, yeah, I’m cool. A lot of people need to fall on their face one or two times to understand, yeah, I can’t be doing this.

I mean, you don’t really have to have the conversation because you see it. You know what I mean? I’ve seen how LeBron takes care of his body, I’ve seen Steph take care of his body, I’ve seen Kevin Durant take care of his body. The thing about it, everybody’s different. Bron is an anomaly because he’s 40 still playing at this high of a level. For him, it’s more body work. What are those things called? Hyperbaric chambers, saunas, having those things implemented.