It’s a tradition unlike any other: MUSCLEWATCH!
For the uninitiated -- and at this point, who isn’t initiated? -- MUSCLEWATCH began almost two decades ago, when my friend Matt and noticed each season that some player would report to NBA training camp having added “15 pounds of muscle.” For whatever reason, it was never 12 pounds, never 17 pounds, but always 15 pounds of muscle. Which always made us laugh.
Once Google became sentient, I was able to start compiling MUSCLEWATCH data from around the league. And over time, MUSCLEWATCH became about more than just the requisite 15 pounds of muscle, but about which players showed up for training camp having gained or lost weight.