13 Favorite Restaurants Of NBA Players

Apart from their skills on the court, NBA players are known to enjoy the finer things in life, and a fantastic meal can be counted among them. Life for these elite players shouldn't be all about basketball; these guys also need to eat, but some of their favorite restaurants might surprise you. Plenty of players gravitate toward luxurious meals in hard-to-get-into restaurants — Micheal Jordan loved steakhouses so much that he started his own — while other NBA stars prefer the food at more modest places, like small chains or eateries with a unique perspective on international cuisine. And, of course, some of them just love junk food.

NBA players crisscross the nation during basketball season and attend lots of media events, allowing them to visit restaurants all over. Some have taken this opportunity to test the waters of foodie culture, and given the massive social media followings and general popularity of the NBA's brightest stars, a player's glowing review of a particular restaurant can have a significant impact on its reputation. Not only that, NBA players often evolve into businessmen with branding opportunities that expand far beyond promoting basketball sneakers. It's not out of the ordinary for NBA players to open their own restaurants inspired by the food they love to eat. If you've ever wondered where some of your favorite basketballers like to enjoy a meal, check out these 13 favorite restaurants of NBA players.

It's a notoriously exclusive A-lister spot, but when you're an NBA's G.O.A.T., you can pretty much get into any restaurant you want. LeBron James doesn't frequent Carbone for the clout alone; he's such a big fan of the restaurant he wrote about it for Variety magazine in 2016. James described his love of dining out in New York City with a big group of friends, writing, " ... it's about the experience. Good vibe, good food, and good people."​​ He also mentioned some favorite menu items, "The rigatoni and the porterhouse at Carbone are unbelievable ... "

Carbone is part of Major Food Group, a high-powered collection of glitzy international restaurants, bars, clubs, and hotels owned by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick (whom James calls a friend). The original Carbone opened in Greenwich Village in 2013, and its food was self-described as Italian-American. Carbone seeks to honor New York's mid-century Italian restaurants whose red sauce plates faded into outer-borough obscurity in subsequent decades as renowned chefs and the diners who adored them put French haute cuisine on a longstanding pedestal.

Carbone's take on red sauce plates involves exemplary finesse, and the restaurant has expanded worldwide. When Carbone Miami became the new East Coast hot-ticket restaurant, LeBron James was ready, posting on Instagram: "MAN O MAN!! I CANNOT wait to get to Miami so I can go to one of my favorite restaurants in the world now located there, too. CARBONE!!!!! Wowzers!!"

NBA superstar and family man Steph Curry loves his wife's home-cooked meals, but his passion for food reaches beyond his personal kitchen. The Golden Gate Warriors' superstar point guard (and greatest shooter of all time) doesn't require a celebrity-studded guest from his favorite San Francisco restaurants. Instead, he gravitates toward simple places like food trucks, where the meal is the main event, rather than a glittery ambiance. This is why Curry counts the small California chain KoJa Kitchen as one of his absolute favorites.

Curry describes himself as an "avid customer" of KoJa Kitchen and has been ordering there since its early days as a food truck. However, nowadays, the restaurant also has several brick-and-mortar locations. On an episode of Curry's YouTube short-form series "5 Minutes From Home" that features esports gamers Myth and Hamlinz, Curry took them to the KoJa Kitchen food truck, which he said was "unreal." KoJa stands for "Korean, Japanese," and the eatery features a distinctive type of sandwich, simply called a koja. The buns are made from crispy fried garlic rice and feature a variety of Asian-inspired fillings. "The Original" Koja is Curry's go-to order and is made up of Korean barbeque short ribs, sesame vinaigrette lettuce, katsu aioli, and sesame seeds. We think he may be onto something.

He was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns in early 2023, but it appears Durant is adjusting to Arizona just fine. On the culinary side of things, the talented forward has gotten well-acquainted with the stylish seafood restaurant Ocean 44 in Scottsdale. The posh eatery is part of brothers Jeff and Mike Mastro's impressive restaurant group, Prime Steak Concepts, along with well-known spots like Steak 48 and Dominick Steakhouse. Shortly after his arrival to the Southwest, the former Rookie of The Year and 13-time All-Star told the Arizona Republic, "I've been going to Ocean 44 the last couple of weeks," and praised the hospitality he's received since his move.

It's not surprising why Durant is settling in at Ocean 44; the man loves his seafood. In 2018, Durant's personal chef, Ryan Lopez, revealed that the NBA great eats eight-ounce servings of seafood no less than six times a week. Salmon, sea bass, shrimp, and scallops are among his favorites. Lucky for Durant, Ocean 44 gives the fine-dining treatment to his protein of choice; Shetland Island Salmon, Chilean Sea Bass, and New Bedford Sea Scallops are on the menu.

Although Luka Doncic has only been in the NBA since 2018, the scoring sensation from Slovenia isn't just a star player for the Dallas Mavericks; he's one of the top players in professional basketball today. Since moving to Dallas from his home city of Ljubljana, Doncic hasn't had to go too far to get his hands on some delicious eats from his native continent thanks to Henk's European Deli & Black Forest Bakery. The restaurant is one of Doncic's favorites.

Henk's European Deli & Black Forest Bakery is a Dutch-owned establishment. However, it's well-known for serving up some awesome German specialties, from warm potato salad, grilled bratwurst, schnitzel, and, of course, beer. It has been doing business in Dallas since 1961 as a deli, bakery, and marketplace. Henk's Black Forest Bakery can be found within the restaurant and is not to be missed. Peer into the showcase and prepare to drool; the Cherry Black Forest and Swiss Madrisa are considered to be some of the best cakes in the city.

Recent hall of famer Dwayne Wade has roots in Miami. He spent 14 of his 16-season NBA career playing for the Miami Heat, during which he helped lead the team to three championship titles. Though he and his family relocated to Los Angeles in 2021, Wade was a fixture at Miami's Prime 112 for years, a boutique steakhouse known as a favorite among celebrities. Wade's connection to Prime 112 goes beyond a swanky night on the town; the restaurant set the scene for several milestones in his life.

Wade was at Prime 112 when LeBron James announced he'd be joining the Miami Heat in 2010. He also held his wedding rehearsal dinner there when he married actress Gabrielle Union in 2014, for which the restaurant served a special menu that included chicken and waffles and fried Oreos. Perhaps most poignantly, Wade hosted a formal dinner at Prime 112 to celebrate his retirement from the NBA. At the event, all the guests wore white and dined on Prime 112's signature crab cakes, truffle mac and cheese, and one of Wade's faves, chicken and waffles. Prime 112 opened its doors in 2004 as part of the Myles Restaurant Group from restauranteur and Miami native Myles Chefetz. In a 2023 interview with People magazine, Wade spoke highly of Prime 112 and Chefetz, saying, "I've done birthday parties there. I've talked about them so other people can hear about them, so I just always support it."

Rodman's love of Las Vegas is practically the stuff of NBA folklore, so it makes sense that his favorite restaurant is on the Sunset Strip. His off-court exploits and hard-partying reputation tend to overshadow his NBA career a little too often, but lest you forget, Rodman is widely viewed as the best rebounder of all time and was one of the only teammates Michael Jordan didn't badmouth in his 2020 documentary "The Last Dance." Now that we've got that out of the way, let Rodman party it up at his beloved Sugar Factory.

A huge restaurant and candy store like the Sugar Factory demands a location where it can be seen; that's why you'll find the chain at buzzy spots like New York City's Times Square and inside several U.S. casinos. Back in 2011, Rodman famously went all in at Vegas' Sugar Factory for his 50th birthday — which he celebrated two months late — kicking the meal off with shrimp cocktail, chicken skewers, macaroni and cheese pops, and sliders before gorging on New York strip and Black Angus steaks, pan-roasted salmon, and a King Kong Sundae for dessert. Goblets of Sugar Factory's Berry Bliss cocktails and cigars (Rodman supplied those) accompanied the feast.