This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Karl-Anthony Towns, a 30-year-old basketball player for the New York Knicks. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
When people ask me what gives me an edge, I say it’s confidence, but all of that confidence comes from training. If there are no lights and no fans, my confidence is built in the gym.
I’m a player on the New York Knicks. My father played and coached basketball, which inspired me to pursue the sport, among other things. When I was at St. Joseph High School in New Jersey, our team won a state championship in 2014.
In college, I played for the Kentucky Wildcats and started my NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015. I joined the Knicks in 2024 and have played for them for almost two years.
Truly believing in my work and my abilities gives me an edge. I think anyone else in the NBA feels that way as well.
Here’s what a typical day looks like for me.
I wake up at 6 a.m. and have a light, liquid breakfast
I’m not a big breakfast guy, which is funny, because everyone says it’s the most important meal of the day. A lot of guys I know don’t like eating in the morning because we don’t like to feel heavy.
When I wake up, I have 16 ounces of water and then black coffee, MCT oil (derived from palm kernel and coconut oils for an energy boost), and chicken bone broth.
I go to practice at 7 a.m.
Of course, on game days, which are about three to four days a week during the season, you want to be hydrated, but staying hydrated even on off-days is important — the more hydrated you are, the quicker the body recovers.
I drink water all day. Sparkling water is my favorite. Starting at 7 a.m., I’m at practice all day, so I’m always being handed Gatorade bottles and water.
At the Knicks facility, we have our hydration tested. A lot of us check our hydration throughout the day, even when we leave the facility, to make sure we’re at a good level.
Lunges are my favorite mobility workout
When I was in high school, my favorite compound exercise was the deadlift, which works the entire body.
Now that I’m older, I prefer lunges, chin-ups, and goblet squats for working multiple muscle groups. Lunges especially help with my mobility, working my legs and quads.
After dealing with a meniscus tear a few years ago, it’s been awesome to see how my body has reacted and recovered from it. It’s the only surgery I’ve ever had, and I wouldn’t have known how my body could bounce back if it hadn’t happened.
Don’t underestimate your toes
A lot of the players get work done on our feet — massages, rolling out our feet with a lacrosse ball or tennis ball, picking up and lowering the ball to work on the contraction.
I’m a believer in strengthening the toes. When I played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, a lot of players would practice barefoot, gripping the floor, getting our feet and our toes into it, obviously working out the muscles and ligaments.
Our feet always swell up because we run so much, so I’ll take some Advil. It’s great to have that still working for inflammation after all these years of playing basketball. (Editor’s note: Towns recently partnered with the company to promote its Advil Exchange program, which encourages consumers to check their medicine cabinets for expired over-the-counter pain medications and replace them with Advil).
My lunches and dinners follow a similar pattern
I have chicken as my protein, with some greens and veggies. I always like color on the plate. Carb-wise, I usually have sweet potatoes, cauliflower rice, or quinoa. During the season, when I need more carbs, I might have some white rice.
Snacks in between lunch and dinner are usually unsalted almonds, a protein bar, and electrolytes.
I’m so used to my diet at this point that I find a lot of enjoyment in it. My fiancé, Jordyn Woods, makes me try other things, like salmon or another fish instead of chicken.
All of us nap before the game
The whole team naps before each game for a max of about two hours.
It’s part of the routine. We shoot around, take a nap for recovery, and then go back to the stadium.
After a game, I go home, get some rest, and I’m back to practice the next morning.
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The post I’m Karl-Anthony Towns. Here’s a day in my life on the New York Knicks, from a bone broth breakfast to 2-hour pre-game naps. appeared first on Business Insider.
