Cavs’ Matthew Dellavedova takes the lead when it comes to his NBA diet

He’s known as the Outback Assassin, Down Under or, to teammates, simply Delly. No matter the nickname, Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova carries his Australian heritage with him everywhere he goes—which can be a problem when navigating American grocery stores lacking Tim Tams, Vegemite and other Aussie staples. When the point guard joined Cleveland as a rookie free agent in 2013 after four years at St. Mary’s, he quickly turned to team nutrition consultant and registered nurse Stacy Goldberg to build a customized eating plan suited for his NBA goals.

“I would always be a little bit hungry, and I wouldn’t have the best fuel when we were on the road,” says Dellavedova, 24. “It was more about trying to make small improvements to give me that consistent feeling of energy.”

To help Dellavedova understand food and how it affects performance, Goldberg began with the basics, like reading a nutritional label, understanding serving sizes and learning the difference between proteins, carbohydrates and fats. While animal proteins tend to be a huge emphasis for most athletes, Goldberg also stressed the importance of plant-based protein sources such as hemp, chia seeds and peanut butter.

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Cavs’ Matthew Dellavedova takes the lead when it comes to his NBA diet written by Jamie Lisanti