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Jody Genessy: NBA players react to dramatic weight loss – Deseret News

Feb 11th, 2017

Editor's note: This column was previously published on the author's blog at jodygenessy.com.

In March 2016, I embarked on what I dubbed "Jody's Changing for Good Challenge." After getting on the scale and discovering at 373.7 pounds that I was the heaviest I had been my entire life, I decided it was time to change. After months of sticking to a healthy, medically approved diet, I've lost a total of 138.7 pounds as of Feb. 4.

Because Im a sports writer who covers the Utah Jazz for my job, people often ask if NBA players I interact with have had big reactions to my weight loss.

For the most part, the answer is *crickets* *tumbleweeds* in other words, no.

Jazz management, coaches even Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan and his lovely wife, Tammy and staff members, ushers, the PR crew and media members have all been effusive with kind words and compliments, but the players have mostly been silent. Thats fine. Theyve got basketball and millions of dollars to focus on, not my shrinking body.

But there have been a few fun moments.

After a recent game, I teased Boris Diaw that I now weigh less than him. The French power forward, who loves his coffee, wine and fine cuisine, is listed as weighing 250 pounds. Ive got him by 15 pounds now! Hes a foot taller than me, so Im hoping my self-deprecating humor didnt somehow go over his head.

The 6-foot-8 athlete smiled, gave me a fist bump and told me, Keep going.

Dont worry, mon ami. I will.

An unprompted compliment came my way a couple of months ago via Derrick Favors. To give some context, Favors had been injured for a good portion of the season, so we hadnt been able to interview him for a while until a mid-December practice.

But the most enthusiastic response happened Jan. 23 when the Oklahoma City Thunder were in town.

Normally I write the main story for Jazz games but on this particular night, I had sidebar duty. Russell Westbrook went off for another triple-double and hit a last-second game-winning shot, so I went to the visitors locker room at Vivint Arena to interview this insanely gifted athlete.

While awkwardly waiting with a pack of media members in the locker room as Westbrook sat in his locker with his knees being iced and his focus being devoted to his phone, I looked over toward the training room and saw a familiar sight: former Jazz center Enes Kanter.

Kanter and I used to get along really well. We both managed to crack each other up on occasion, and he was usually a good and/or fun interview. In February 2015, the young Turk told Salt Lake Tribune writer Aaron Falk and I that he wanted to be traded because he was unhappy with his situation in Utah.

His wish was granted and he became Jazz Enemy No. 1 after he ripped on the organization and team after being traded to Oklahoma City. He kindly admitted that he liked Utahs mountains, though.

Before the Jan. 23 game, I hadnt seen Kanter since fall of 2015 when his Thunder visited Salt Lake City for a pair of games. He acted happy to see Aaron and a few other media members, but he seemed a bit strange with me. I figured it was because Id made a few jokes about his defense (or lack thereof). It was also probably just strange for him to get so much attention for saying dumb things and for being a villain in a place that used to adore him.

I was blown away by his reaction this time around, more than a year later.

He was used to seeing the old Jody the bearded and bloated one who used to post about incredible (and fattening) food from travel adventures.

Now he was seeing this trimmed-down and cleaned-up version of Jody in front of him in the locker room.

Kanter stopped in his tracks and checked me out, from head to toe a couple of times. He smiled. I laughed.

Wowww!!! Kanter blurted out. Look at you, man! Im in shock right now. You look really good!

It was a really fun moment.

I did, however, miss an opportunity to point out to the 6-foot-11, 245-pound Kanter that I now weigh less than him, too.

Ive now passed up four Jazz players on the scale this season and I should clarify that Im passing them up headed the right direction (down) this time around.

Sorry, Derrick Favors (6 feet 10 inches, 265 pounds), Rudy Gobert (7 feet 1 inch, 245 pounds), Boris Diaw (6 feet 8 inches, 250 pounds) and Joe Johnson (6 feet 7 inches, 240 pounds), but you all outweigh this former 5-foot-8, 374-pounder.

As of my last official weigh-in, Im checking in at a lean and mean 5 feet 8 inches and 235 pounds. (Its possible Ive shrunk down to 5 feet 7 inches from losing fat in the padding of my foot, but Im not going to check that.)

My next targets on the Jazz squad: rookie forward Joel Bolomboy (6 feet 9 inches, 235 pounds), power forward Trey Lyles (6 feet 10 inches, 234 pounds) and center Jeff Withey (7 feet, 231 pounds). The other Jazz players from All-Star Gordon Hayward (6 feet 8 inches, 226 pounds) to point guards Dante Exum (6 feet 6 inches, 190 pounds), George Hill (6 feet 3 inches, 188 pounds) and Raul Neto (6 feet 1 inch, 179 pounds) can relax for now.

My goal, though, is to pass all of them before the Jazz are done in the playoffs this spring.

If they havent noticed my weight loss and health gain by now, they certainly will by then even if they dont say anything.

Read the rest here:
Jody Genessy: NBA players react to dramatic weight loss - Deseret News

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