The 6-foot-7 small forward led the league in scoring with 32.9 points per game in 1984-85
CERTAIN athletes have unusual eating habits, especially before big games.
Whether it’s drinking two large McDonald’s hot chocolates like point guard John Wall or devouring candy like two-time champion Lamar Odom, NBA players need their fix.
Bernard King played for the New York Knicks in the 1980s. Credit: Getty
He set the NBA’s Christmas Day scoring record in 1984. Credit: Getty
New York Knicks legend Bernard King was no different.
King, a member of the Knicks for four seasons, was a part of the franchise from 1982-1987, but missed the entire 1985-86 season due to a knee injury.
During his time in New York, the 6-foot-7 small forward proved himself as one of the best scorers in the association, leading the league in scoring with 32.9 points per game in 1984-85.
In his four seasons in the Big Apple, King was a two-time All-Star too.
Present day, he’s talked about one day every year: Christmas Day.
King has the record for the most points in a Christmas Day game, lighting up the then-New Jersey Nets for 60 points in 1984.
But the season prior, King made even more history, recording back-to-back 50-point games, becoming the first player since Rick Barry in 1967 to do so in the NBA.
The two-game run is widely known as the “Texas Massacre,” considering the performances came in wins against Dallas and San Antonio.
In an interview in 2015, King shared his pregame diet before the historic games.
“I had a milkshake and cookies before that first game,” claimed the now 67-year-old.
“And for the second game, I had a milkshake, cookies, and a turkey sandwich.”
Today, many players have unorthodox eating habits before matches.
From the Steph Curry Golden State Warriors being obsessed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and NFL legend Marshawn Lynch chugging Skittles on the sidelines, whatever helps a player get through a game is a go.
“They’d go to the depths of the Earth to try and find some candy for me,” Lynch said on the Manningcast.
Whatever works.
