

CHICAGO – APRIL 29:Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) looks for the foul call during the first half of game five of the NBA play-offs between the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Tuesday, April 29, 2014. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Athletes often have special pre-game beverages. Coffee. Gatorade. Water with electrolytes. Something.

John Wall? He drinks McDonald’s hot chocolate.

“I’ve been doing this since I was little,” he said after Wizards practice on Thursday. “Even in the summer time when it be hot as hell, I’ll be still drinking it.”

Specifically, he drinks two large-sized hot chocolates. Like, every day. Of the year.

“I just like hot chocolate that much,” he explained. “It’s a habit. I have one before the game and one in the morning. If I don’t get one in the morning [on off days], I’ll at least get two after practice to go home.”

Someone suggested that Wall adds extra sugar packets to the McDonald’s drink; “only like one or two,” he said. “Not too much. They make it extra chocolatey and stuff, so it’s good.”

And teammates are well aware of Wall’s habit.

“All the time,” Garrett Temple said. “He has to have his hot chocolate before the game. It gets him up. People do a lot of stuff before games.”

“It’s spilled a couple times in my locker area,” Drew Gooden said. “You know, we share a locker [area], so I definitely know about the hot chocolate.”

And why McDonald’s hot chocolate? Just chalk it up to personal taste.

“I don’t know. It’s just good to me,” Wall said, adding that he started the habit while in grade school. “Some people use coffee and Red Bull. This just gets me ready.”