Top-10 draft pick reveals brutal meal plan and calorie load required to survive in the NBA: “I hate eating”

Cody Williams, the 20-year-old younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams, is learning the hard way just how tough life in the NBA can be—on and off the court.

Cody Williams’ tough start to NBA life

After a forgettable rookie season with the Utah Jazz, where he averaged just 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, Williams is trying to rebuild his body to keep pace with the league’s physical demands. At 6-foot-7 and just 190 pounds, he’s significantly underweight by NBA standards and knows it. His mission this offseason? Pack on muscle, fast.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I hate eating. I can’t even taste anything anymore,” Williams said recently. “I’m just stuffing food into my body to get the calories in. I don’t even think about what I like or don’t like at this point. I guess mashed potatoes are okay. Mac and cheese, steak—I do like steak. But I’ll eat whatever.”

Jazz rookie’s grueling daily meal plan

That “whatever” adds up to 4,800 calories a day, a grueling meal plan he’s been following since his rookie year ended. He’s eating constantly—when he wakes up, after naps, before and after workouts. It’s all part of the plan to add muscle and toughness, a transformation his older brother Jalen also went through before making his own leap in the NBA.

Jalen, now 24, was the 12th pick in the 2022 draft and has become a vital piece of a Thunder team that just won the NBA title. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws MVP-level praise, Jalen has carved out a role as his right-hand man—think Jordan and Pippen. Now Cody, the 10th pick in the 2024 draft, is trying to follow that same path.

But his first year in Salt Lake City was rough. At times, he looked completely overwhelmed, and his lack of physicality was glaring. There were brief flashes—defensive instincts, smart reads—but he’s still very much a work in progress, especially when it comes to his shooting and his frame.

Utah Jazz move on from Mitchell and Gobert

Williams isn’t the only young player Utah is banking on. The Jazz are deep into a rebuild, having missed the playoffs for three straight years since dismantling the Donovan Mitchell–Rudy Gobert era. The front office has moved on from veterans like Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton for little in return, and could still deal John Collins. Even Lauri Markkanen, 28, may not be part of the long-term plans.

Instead, it’s all about developing a new core. In addition to Williams, Utah’s youth movement includes Walker Kessler, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, and recent lottery pick Ace Bailey—who reportedly tried to avoid landing with the Jazz altogether—and second-rounder Walter Clayton Jr.

Cody Williams’ efforts paying off: “Added strength”

Jazz Summer League coach Scott Morrison has seen improvement in Cody already. “He’s put in a lot of work since the season ended—both in the weight room and on the court,” Morrison said. “You can see it in practice. He’s playing more physically, bringing more intensity on defense. I think the added strength is giving him more confidence.”

Cody admits his brother had a bit of an advantage when he entered the league. “Jalen was drafted at 21, so by his second summer, he was already 22. He was more developed, physically more mature. But even he went through this. He told me he got to a point where eating made him feel sick, too.”

The process may be miserable, but the goal is clear: If Cody wants to have any shot at living up to his draft stock—or even just sticking in the league—he has to reshape his body. And that means pushing through one more bland bowl of mashed potatoes, one forkful at a time.

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