Al Jefferson had one of those depressing old-man offseasons where he put in a lot of work and radically changed his diet just so he could stay semi-viable in the NBA. It was the difference between doing nothing, coming into the season a fatty, and being inactive the entire year, or doing a whole lot of work just to be relatively skinny so his body could withstand fifteen minutes per game.
That’s gotta suck. To put in all that work, just so the blubber on your tummy is a little less prominent and you can run a little bit longer without gassing yourself out. Meanwhile all these young whippersnappers can spend the months of May through September just eating Popeye’s every day and maybe getting up a few shots in the gym and they’re ready to go for the new season. If Big Al did the Popeye’s-every-day thing for five months, he would cease being Big Al and start being Gigantic Al. At least then he wouldn’t have to eat stupid things like kale and quinoa.