How sports nutrition and biometrics are evolving NBA training

This article was originally published on BasketballNews onJuly 20, 2022.

Impact Basketball's facility sits inside an unassuming sectionof an unassuming plaza on Dean Martin Drive in Las Vegas.

The gym contains two light-colored hardwood basketball courtswith a small scoreboard, a weightlifting area, a makeshiftstretching room, a kitchenette for meals and snacks and a smalloffice. It's no place for vanities. The only flexes are the dozensof white banners hanging on the right wall, listing names uponnames of distinguished players who have come through during thegym's 25 years of existence.

Among those players: Kevin Garnett, Kawhi Leonard, ChaunceyBillups, Kyle Lowry, Kelsey Plum, Tayshaun Prince, Jaylen Brown,Tyrese Haliburton, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Al Harrington,Kristaps Porzingis, Nassir Little, Saddiq Bey and ZiaireWilliams.

Kevin Garnett stopped by @impactbballand offered some advice to Blazers guard Keon Johnson, Maverickswing Josh Green and 16-year-old prospect Dayan Nessah.@Joe_Abunassar@KevinGarnett5KG@[email protected]/fwRjAM2WHJ

Impact Basketball, founded by trainer Joe Abunassar in 1997, hasa reputation for its star-studded, closed-door pickup games thattake place during the NBA offseason. In the spring, it's also wheresome of the top NBA Draft hopefuls join Abunassar's pre-draft "bootcamp" and commit themselves to an intricate world of sportstraining and nutrition.

The timeline is simple: arrive by April, revamp your traininglifestyle and find your professional pathway — either via the NBADraft, an undrafted free-agent deal or another contract —afterwards. The work is not flashy, isn't always fun and, if youwant to stick as a pro, never ends.

But the results can change lives.

"It's not about W's or L's, it's about M's — M's being millionsof dollars," said Isaac Mourier, Impact's Director of PerformanceNutrition and Sport Science. "Once you say that to a guy like that,that's all they need in terms of motivation."

Mourier is a key cog in Impact's program. He's from the UnitedKingdom and played professional basketball in England and Germanybefore starting his own sports nutrition consulting business.Mourier has worked for the University of Georgia and SacramentoKings as a nutritionist and consultant, and joined Impact in 2020during the spring.

During his two-and-a-half years and three draft cycles with thecompany, Mourier has filled his laptop with infographics andprogress charts for Impact athletes. They include individualizedgoals for each player; an example involves raising one prospect'sweight by 20 pounds, lowering his body fat by 2%, increasing hisbench press weight by 50 pounds and adding two inches to hisvertical.

Mourier feels privileged to work with athletes at this stage oftheir careers. To him, the noise of team ecosystems and outsideexpectations all fade away. He can clearly define goals, andplayers know exactly what success will look like.

"This is the first time, maybe ever in their life, where theyhave a team of people that are only worried about them," he said."Now, I'm just trying to get you to the NBA and keep you there. Idon't care whether you win or lose games right now. This is you.All the focus is on you."