Jared Sullinger weighs in at 260 after topping 300 last season
The Toronto Raptors are hoping that less is more for offseason import Jared Sullinger.
The bulbous Buckeye joined the Raptors from the Celtics on a below-market one-year contract this summer, and he's entered camp in dramatically different shape.
Sullinger, who maxed out at over 300 pounds last season, told Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun that he's got his weight down to 260 pounds, as the Raptors begin training camp in beautiful Burnaby, British Columbia.
"I am just trying to take those days and put them behind me, well, not really behind me but just the weight issue, put it behind me," Sullinger said Tuesday.
"Understand this is a new breath of life and it’s time to change the image. Every day I am working. I can’t stop. It’s something that will be stuck with me for the rest of the my life."
Sullinger also managed to slim down to around 260 pounds at the start of camp last season with the Celtics, but owing to a combination of poor sleep and misfiring metabolism, Sullinger couldn't keep the weight off. He's put forward more efforts to combat that - especially after the loss of his grandmother.
"My biggest thing was watching my grandmother pass away from diabetes. I had another family member in the hospital with fluid in his lungs. He had a damaged heart. I had an uncle who passed away after a heart attack.
"Even though I am active, even though I am healthy, certain things go a long way if you just cut them out. I look at their lives as examples of somewhere I don’t want to go down," Sullinger said.
The 6-foot-9 Sullinger was always hefty dating back to sixth grade, when his twice-daily order at McDonalds would include two double cheeseburgers, two chicken fillets, two small fries, and a large drink. The weight became a weapon for Sullinger as he dominated opponents in the low post at the collegiate level.
However, his bulk became more of a drag once he entered the NBA. Not only were there bigger defenders that weren't so easily pushed around, but Sullinger also struggled to stay healthy. The Celtics even tried to negotiate a weight clause into his contract.
If Sullinger wants to make good on his potential, and thereby earn the long-term contract he failed to receive this summer, he'll need to stay in peak shape.