He’d made the same move countless times before. With his Sacramento Kings leading the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter of an otherwise-forgettable January game, Rudy Gay corralled a pass in the right corner. Pacers big man Myles Turner rotated over to deny an open look, giving Gay a clear path to the rim that appeared destined to result in an emphatic baseline finish and two points.

That play never materialized. Instead, as he pushed off his left foot, Gay felt a pop and crumpled to the ground, knowing that the worst had happened before the team’s medical staff even made it off the bench. After the game, the Kings confirmed that their second-leading scorer would miss the rest of the year with a torn Achilles tendon. Surgery came five days later.

After a long season—and, then, a long off-season—of rehabilitation, though, Greg Popovich called Gay over the summer and invited the free agent to compete for a championship in San Antonio. As he prepares for his twelfth season, we caught up with the Spurs forward after the first week of training camp to talk about his grueling recovery process, how the injury changed his diet, and the one type of treat he just can’t quit.

GQ: How are you feeling after the first week of training camp?

Rudy Gay: Physically, I’m feeling good. I wanted to make sure of that going into training camp, and obviously, the team wanted to make sure of that, too. After being out close to a year, I’m not going to sit here and say it’s easy trying to get back into playing shape, or into Rudy Gay mode, but it’s nothing compared to rehab.

I’m sure you want prove to teammates—and to yourself—that you’re still capable of doing the things you’re known for on the court. Has it been difficult to avoid pushing yourself too fast as you ease in to basketball?

That’s the thing: All I know is to push myself, and when I came in here, I continued to do that. They have kind of scaled me back and brought me back to reality a little bit. [Laughs]. We’re preparing to play until June, and obviously, they have a lot of great people here, and they don’t want me to have those little nagging injuries that can stem from the big ones. They’ve been great about [holding me back].

The rehab process from this injury is perhaps one of the more grueling and tedious ones that an athlete can go through. What was the most difficult part for you?

You go from playing above the rim and running miles at a time to not even being able to walk. Going through rehab, I think the first thing for me was learning how to walk again, so that I could feel like a normal adult and do things like play with my kid. From there, I had to [relearn] how to be an athlete.

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How long were you immobile and unable to put weight on your foot?

I was immobile for four or five months, using crutches, unable to put any weight on that foot without the boot. I actually had a little scooter for [two months], too. That was my hot rod. [Laughs].

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As with any serious lower body injury for an athlete, the diet becomes critical because it's easy to put on unwanted pounds when you’re suddenly unable to work out like you’re accustomed to. What changes did you make to ensure that you didn’t put on unnecessary weight?

I switched everything up. I gained maybe five pounds the whole time. It wasn’t just diet, though. I was still active. I had my trainer in Miami, and went to the gym and did upper body workouts. I’m an athlete, and that’s what I do. I wanted to prepare myself to go out and be an athlete again. When I got hurt, I told myself that this wasn’t going to defeat me. I’m going to come back stronger and faster. I didn’t take any time off. Going straight to the gym like that also helped me mentally—to realize that it wasn’t over.

When you get something taken from you—even when you’re a kid and you have a toy taken from you, you want it more when others are playing with it. It was just like that. I’m a basketball player. The game is what got me here, and this is the way I get paid. It’s tough to have it taken away.

Yes, there was a time when I felt down and defeated, but after that, I felt very motivated. I went to rehab every day. After rehab, I went to the gym. I always felt healthy. I felt I could have come back long before I actually did—I would say at about six or seven months. The doctor wouldn’t dare clear me for it, but I felt like I could go.

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What were some of the things you had to eliminate from your diet?

All bleached carbs. I didn’t eat any of them. It was basically a paleo diet—that’s always been a good diet for me, because you still get to eat your steaks and chickens, but all the pastas, breads, and milk are gone.

How much has the injury changed your diet from what it was previously?

I think this entire injury changed me. Before, I would get up in the morning and eat pancakes and things like that, because I just thought that that was what you’re supposed to eat for breakfast. Now, I eat an egg white omelet with spinach. After practice, I’m having some type of lean meat and vegetables. Before games, I’ll eat a lean meat and some kind of natural carb like sweet potatoes or beans—something to give me energy. I take amino acids before the game, too.

With a young child around, is it hard to keep yourself away from the sugars and those little fruit snacks that kids love?

It’s not even that. I can get rid of that. For me, it’s the desserts. I love cakes, and cookies, and stuff like that. I had to stay away from that.

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