Though DeAndre loves animals—especially his boxer named Bruce—his dietary shift came more out of concern for his own health.

“For me, I care about my body, so whatever I put in it, I want it to be good to where I want to produce that,” he says. “I'm a true believer in whatever I put in my body, that's what I'm going to produce.”

Though he has been in the NBA for 11 years, DeAndre hasn’t always been a conscious eater. That change came in 2016 when after eight years in the league, D.J. started to notice how diet affects players during and after their on-court careers.

“I wasn't a documentary guy, like, ‘Oh, I watched What the Health!’ Nah, that wasn't it for me,” he says. “For me, it was just seeing different health issues with people and I didn't want that to cause injuries or when I'm done playing, I'm sick. That happens to people not even when they're athletes, but just regular everyday life.”

D.J.’s decision to go vegan invited (and continues to invite) a wide range of reactions. Even while talking about his veganism, he endures some good-natured heckling from longtime Mavs guard J.J. Barea.

“Hey D.J., you want that cheeseburger that you always eat?” J.J. says, with a big smile on his face.

D.J. tries to ignore him while cracking a smile of his own, but J.J won’t relent.

“Nah, man,” D.J. says.

“You don't want it today?” J.J. continues.

“Nah, I'ma take the steak. I'ma have the steak,” D.J. jokes back.