Denver Nuggets centre DeAndre Jordan, who went plant-based in 2018, says he wants to “make our world a better place”.
The three-time All NBA and two-time NBA All-Defensive Team member hosts his own plant-based cooking show and supports trees being planted through his foundation.
“I care so much about the environment,” he told BBC Sport.
Jordan, who helped the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in 2023, said he experimented with vegetarian and pescatarian diets in the past.
“I went plant-based one summer and I was like, ‘hey, you know what, I feel really great’.”
The 36-year-old, who is studying for a degree in Contemplative Studies at Brown University, said the decision not to eat animal products also helped him to feel better about the environment and animal cruelty.
“I learned so much about food being locally sourced or how animals were treated, the amount of water that was used to house and feed and clean these animals and the impact it was having on our planet,” he said.
“I went into this rabbit hole of how I myself, as one person can not only help, but also spread the knowledge that I’ve learned.”
The United Nations says meat and dairy (farmed livestock) accounts for about 11% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
Research published in the journal Climate suggests that, if everybody in the world went vegan, the world’s food-related CO2 emissions might drop by 68% within 15 years.
Jordan said he does not implore his team-mates to become vegan, but makes himself available to answer their questions.
“I feel like it’s my job to give them the bullet points and then they can make the decisions on their own,” he said.
Jordan said he is not prescriptive about telling people to go vegan permanently.
“Whatever part of your journey you’re in, you should be able to embrace that. If you go plant-based for one year, that’s a year of great service you’ve done for the environment.”
Jordan said he tries to pass on knowledge about food and the environment to his children.
“They have a 30-year head start to make our environment better,” he said.
Jordan is headlining a new campaign called the Green Action League, which encourages fans of teams across various sports to move up a league table by taking green actions such as recycling, choosing plant-based meals or joining a community clean-up.
The teams taking part – the Nuggets, Arsenal, Los Angeles Rams, and Colorado Avalanche – are owned by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE).
NBA teams travel large distances across the US as part of their playing schedule.
In recent years the organisation has changed its scheduling to reduce travel. For instance, teams may play the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic – both based in Florida – on the same trip.
According to Earth Day, in the 2022-23 season the NBA decreased its annual overall travel by 50,000 miles.
Fan travel can make up 65-80% of the carbon footprint of the event industry, according to Justin Zeulner of The Wave Foundation.
The NBA also hosts games overseas and the Nuggets kicked off their 2024 pre-season schedule with two games in Abu Dhabi.
“For our jobs, sometimes we can’t help that we do have to travel,” Jordan said. “In my mind, I’m thinking, if I have to do this, then why not have some sort of change in my everyday life to be able to help reverse certain things?”
As part of the UN Sport for Climate Action Framework, the NBA aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% by 2030.
Other initiatives it has undertaken include reducing plastic bottles in offices by 80% and launching an NBA Arena Sustainability Task Force.
“I remember when I first came into the league, we’d have NBA Green Week and we’d wear Green Week shirts with a recycling logo on it, but that was pretty much it,” Jordan said.
“As the years have gone on, we’ve done a better job of being able to implement these ideas into the arenas.”
Earlier this week Arsenal’s plan to reach net-zero by 2040 was approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Their plan for net-zero includes decarbonising energy consumption at Emirates Stadium and the training ground, reducing travel emissions, minimising waste and working with partners and suppliers to reduce emissions from the goods that the club purchases.
