Damian Lillard Details Diet, Workout Changes After 'Toughest Year' of Life with Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard says he is making changes to his diet and workout routine after going through what he called "probably the toughest year of my life" during the 2023-24 season, according to Fox Sports' Melissa Rohlin.

Lillard's trade from the Portland Trail Blazers last fall, which took place after the preseason had already begun, led Lillard to move away from his three children while negotiating a divorce, he told Rohlin.

His production subsequently dipped from a career-high 32.2 points per game in Portland to 24.3 points per contest with the Bucks.

"When a lot is weighing on you, your best foot forward is not what it is when you're your more clear, free self," Lillard told Rohlin. "I think that's what kind of year it was for me. But everything comes to pass. I think those times have passed."

Lillard responded this offseason by working out with a former Navy SEAL and changing his diet to include no dairy, no gluten and no processed food, he told Rohlin.

The Bucks star told Rohlin that he would travel with his own pre-prepared, frozen food when leaving town after starting the diet, which he said took "a lot of responsibility and discipline."

"It was hard in the beginning... but I was able to sustain it," Lillard told Rohlin.

His offseason workouts meanwhile involved endurance athlete and former SEAL David Goggins, who has experience with ultra-marathons and ultra-triathlons and in 2013 set a world record by doing 4,030 pull-ups in just over 17 hours.

Lillard has shared footage of his workouts with Goggins throughout the offseason.

Lillard recently discussed these workouts with Nabil Karim for Bleacher Report, during which he said his offseason routine has involved collaboration with a nutritionist, chef, strength and conditioning coach, speed and agility coach, physical therapist and basketball trainer in addition to Goggins.

"It was more of a mental challenge than anything else, and I think that's my greatest takeaway from it," Lillard said about training with Goggins. "The mental strength, you realize it's a lot more there when you think, even when you're tired, and you're kind of just dying in the middle of it.

"So to come out the other end of it after spending time with him, it really did something for me mentally."

The Bucks entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the East during Lillard's first campaign with the team, but were not able to overcome injuries to both him and Giannis Antetokounmpo while losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games of the first round.

Lillard will now hope his new offseason routine could lead to better results as the Bucks work to enter the 2024-25 season as title contenders, starting on Oct. 23 with a season-opening away game against the Philadelphia 76ers.