In Part 1, Dan Grunfeld (Ep. 17) talks about his experience training with Crazy Frank while playing at Stanford. 

In this episode, Dan shares:

• How Frank had him sprinting up sand hills + carrying buckets of sand
• How the physical training was extreme but how Frank always knew when to pull you back
• How Dan took Frank’s mantra “your mind will always give out before your body” to heart
• What it means to have a coach pushing you at the highest level
• Why knowing that you outworked everyone else during the off-season gives you more than a physical edge

Few families can boast of one person competing in the NBA Dunk Contest, but the Nances have two: Larry Nance Sr beat Dr. J in 1984, and his son, Larry Nance Jr finished second in 2018. The latter currently plies his basketball trade for the New Orleans Pelicans after they acquired him from the Portland Trailblazers just before the trade deadline in February 2022. Beforehand, the Cavs had inked Larry to a four-year, $44.8 million contract. 

Previously, Nance played for three and half seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers, who selected him with the 27th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. He earned this first-round status with a stellar career at the University of Wyoming, where he led the Cowboys to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and was named 2× First-team All-MWC, MWC Defensive Player of the Year, and 2× MWC All-Defensive Team. Beyond the accolades, Larry had to fight hard to live with Crohn’s Disease, which stunted his growth as a teenager before the condition was diagnosed. 

In this episode, listen to Larry share about:

• What it was like growing up as the son of an NBA legend
• Why being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease marked a turning point and a growth spurt
• How he earned a scholarship despite his medical condition and only playing JV as a junior
• What happened in his Lakers pre-draft workout that prompted the team to draft him
• Who gave him the secret to making it in the NBA

Keep up with Larry on his Instagram feed and support the great work of his foundation, Athletes vs. Crohn's & Colitis, on their website.

Sponsored by Weartesters: https://weartesters.com/ 

In the past few weeks, the Boston Celtics have soared up the Eastern Conference rankings, securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But their championship dreams are limited by whether versatile big man Robert Williams III comes back from a partially torn meniscus. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls announced that guard Lonzo Ball had been ruled out for the rest of the season after a complication 

In his rehab from meniscus surgery. 

In this episode, former Lakers S+C coach Tim DiFrancesco (TD) breaks down:

• What exactly happened to the meniscus of Robert Williams III and Lonzo Ball
• Which roles the meniscus plays in knee structure and shock absorption
• Why Ball might have had a setback
• How long Williams’s post-surgery return to play might take 
• Why resistance training can help reduce the risk of meniscus, ligament, and tendon injuries 

Subscribe to the show for a weekly episode on current hot topics and injury updates from the NBA, and follow TD on Instagram for more tips on bulletproofing your body. 

The Dallas Mavericks’ All-Star Luka Doncic was putting up MVP-like numbers in the final few weeks of the regular season. But then in the final game against the San Antonio Spurs, he went down with what has been confirmed to be a calf strain. Now the Mavs face a worrying wait ahead of their first-round matchup in the Western Conference playoffs against Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz.b

In this episode, former Lakers strength coach Tim DiFrancesco breaks down:

• Which muscles make up the calf
• How calf strains are graded and the return-to-play timeline for each
• Why Luka’s style might allow him to get back on the court sooner than a high flying player
• What setbacks are common in rehabbing a calf strain
• Which exercises can help a player come back and not get re-injured

Keep listening for weekly episodes related to NBA injuries during the playoffs, and check out TD’s Instagram feed for more info on treating and reducing the risk of common issues. 

A lot of shoe reviewers (aka shoetubers) these days get free pairs of all the latest kicks. But growing up in the Bay Area, Chris Chase was mocked on the blacktop for having $40 Payless shoes. This hurt but paled in comparison to the other challenges Chris faced daily in a single-parent home where times were tough, dinner was often pasta and ketchup, and substance abuse sometimes forced him to live with relatives. 

Fascinated by action figures and comic books at first, Chris soon became captivated by kicks and was eventually gifted a pair of iconic Air Jordan XIs by a half-brother he never knew he had until his mid-teens. As Chris struck out on his own, he only had money for rent and utilities and had to walk four miles each way to work at an AMC theater, where soda and popcorn were his staple diet. But as tight as his money was, this job provided the skills and mentorship he needed, preparing him to maintain and then manage apartment complexes. Unable to find performance reviews when he could afford basketball shoes, he started doing his own, and a few years later, a partnership with Drew Whitcomb grew into Weartesters, the leading sneaker review channel and website. 

In this episode, Chris shares:

• Why growing up without much gave him the gift of hustle 
• What he did to survive when he went out on his own
• How a mentor and his best friend changed his path
• Why everything happens for a reason
• What it means to have a supportive spouse and caring business partner 

Keep up with Chris’s latest videos on the Weartesters YouTube channel, check out their Instagram feed, and support him by subscribing to the Weartesters’ members-only Discord. 

• He grew up idolizing Larry Bird and the Celtics
• Gary Vitti recruited him for the Lakers 
• Mitch Kupchak taught a valuable lesson about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry
• Metta World Peace and Steve Blake planned his initiation into the Lakers family
• Metta’s lateness led to an unusual ceremony at half court on the Celtics’ iconic leprechaun 

LeBron James is having yet another stellar season for the Lakers, leading the NBA in scoring at 30.3 points per game, along with 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists. But after missing time with knee and abdominal issues earlier in the year, he is now out with an ankle sprain. A star in the making at the other end of his career, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ sensational Evan Mobley is a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. But when he came down on the foot of the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner, Evan suffered a similar injury to LeBron and is now stuck on the sideline. 

In this episode, Basketball Strong co-host and former Lakers S+C coach Tim DiFrancesco breaks down:

• How LeBron and Evan’s injuries are similar but different
• What all three grades of ankle sprain and why RICE is no longer the go-to treatment
• Why LeBron’s injury history enables him to play through pain
• How the Lakers’ and Cavs’ races for playoff and play-in spots factor into LeBron and Evan’s returns to the lineup
• Which exercises you anyone can do to speed up recovery from an ankle sprain

Stay dialed into the Basketball Strong Podcast for more episodes about treating and reducing the risk of injury, and check out TD’s Instagram feed to see videos, tips, and more. 

A lot of basketball legends are either great players or coaches. But Byron Scott is one of the few who can legitimately claim to be both (though he’s too humble to say so). As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Showtime dynasty, Byron won three NBA championships. He also lost a few bitterly contested Finals showdowns with the Lakers’ arch-nemesis: the Boston Celtics. 

Once he moved from the hardwood to the bench, Byron quickly asserted his strong values and coaching principles, leading the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals and earning Coach of the Year honors. He went on to coach Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career, and make a mark as a mentor to the young guns who are now in starring roles for teams across the League. 

In this episode, Byron reveals: 

• What made the leadership group of Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy work so well
• What Riley taught him about standing firm in the face of adversity
• Why he came to faith following his father’s close brush with death and how this guides his life
• His favorite MJ story

Want to hear more from Byron? Follow him on Instagram and listen to his excellent show, Off the Dribble with Byron Scott. 

Sponsored by Weartesters: https://weartesters.com/ 

Since he first burst onto the basketball scene via jaw-dropping YouTube highlight reels as a teenager, the hoops world has been captivated by Zion’s hops, power, and charisma. When he was recruited by Coach K for a one-and-done season at Duke, everyone realized that the hype was real and Zion was destined for superstardom on the hardwood. This was confirmed when the New Orleans Pelicans selected the manchild with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. But as fast as Zion’s rise has been, it has also been maligned by injuries - to his knees when he infamously busted through the side of his Nike shoe at Duke and then when he partially tore his meniscus. Then came the fifth metatarsal break that has prevented Zion from building on the promise he showed while averaging 27 points a game last year. 

In this episode, Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Tim DiFrancesco (TD) breaks down: 

• Zion’s injury pattern since his days at Duke
• The ins and outs of a fifth metatarsal fracture
• How what TD witnessed with Julius Randle’s injury at the Lakers should give Zion fans hope
• Why Zion’s rehab has taken so long, and cannot be rushed
• The importance of every player developing solid jump-landing mechanics and using resistance training to make their bones and connective tissues more resilient

Keep an eye out for more NBA hot topics and inside looks into player injuries in future episodes of the Basketball Strong Podcast. And check out TD’s Instagram for more durability and performance tips. 

When the Villanova Wildcats square off against the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2022 Final Four in front of thousands of fans in the stands and millions watching on TV, all eyes will be on star players Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore and head coach Jay Wright. Yet behind the scenes, there’s a world-class group of professionals getting the players ready to give their best as they chase a national championship. And the role of longtime performance coach John Shackleton is vital. 

Joining us live from New Orleans just hours before tipoff, John (aka Shack) shares:

• Why being detail-oriented sets Villanova up for deep runs into the NCAA Tournament every year
• Which workouts are most effective in the week leading up to the Final Four
• How the performance staff helps players make solid nutrition and hydration choices
• What it takes to eliminate Final Four distractions and lock in mentally
• Why getting outdoors in sunlight is crucial to players’ sleep patterns in New Orleans

Follow John on Instagram and learn more about his coaching on his website