The Golden State Warriors Are Winning Big, But Nearly Lost Their Beloved Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwiches
The Golden State Warriors might be the best team in the NBA right now — between capturing the 2015 championship crown from the Cleveland Cavaliers and featuring superstar Stephen Curry — but one big loss had cast a shadow on an otherwise stellar season: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Per orders from their nutrition and training staff, the Warriors have been banned from eating any kind of sugar while traveling on their private plane.
And while the team was willing to accept an in-flight embargo on soda and junk food, no one was prepared to let go of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The classic sandwich is an NBA training staple whose praises have been sung by players like Russell Westbrook, Al Horford, Nikola Vučević, and Paul Pierce. The Warriors have come to expect access to PB&Js, on the ground or not.
The ban is particularly stringent because the Warriors, currently 44 and 4, are expected to fly more than 50,000 miles during this season as they defend their championship, the most of any NBA team. Luckily for the Warriors, they had their coaches and executives on their side.
"It's my desert island meal, general manager Bob Myers told the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, assistant coach Luke Walton, known for regularly carrying multiple PB&Js with him at a time, described the issue as a matter of principle. "If you believe in something you gotta fight for it," Walton said.
Eventually, it was Myers and Walton who delivered the perfect argument to overturn the ban: When dealing with the best team in the league, don't mess with success. Plus, who's to say that PB&Js aren't critical to the making of an MVP?
When the ban was finally overturned last month, Warriors guard Shaun Livingston suspected that the call came from the top. "Somebody made a call, Livingston guessed. "Probably Steph."