This episode is presented by BetMGM, the exclusive betting partner of the athletic.

Sign up at betmgm.com using the promo code, The Athletic Pod.

There are few things more important to an NBA player's performance than their diet.

Food is fuel, especially so for the greatest athletes in the world.

You have clients who don't want a salt-based diet.

You got to go and look for a different season that's not salt-based.

They might have a diet to where it's for their blood type. That is Christian Bowman, a celebrity chef who has worked with some of basketball's biggest stars, including Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, and Russell Westbrook. I'm not the ordinary chef. Like, I'm going to come in. I wear my chef coat, but sometimes, no, I'm going to have on some swaggy kicks. So I'm also going to bring my business savvy and my mentality and my work ethic and the food is going to be off the chain. And there's more to being a private chef than just cooking. Breaking bread has bonded Christian with his clients. I'm working with you every day. I'm waking up in the morning with you. I'm probably the first one that you see when you wake up because I'm cooking breakfast. So you definitely build that bond. It's more than just cooking. Like you're dealing with a lot of other different aspects. Christian's journey has taken in from South Central L.A. to living in Jimmy Butler's houses. From working three jobs to sitting courtside at NBA games. From watching the food network as a kid to living out his childhood dreams.

As a private chef, you're in these different homes and, like, you know, they really have to put trust in you because it's a very intimate job.

You know, you're hearing different conversations.

You're seeing different things.

His story is our episode today.

I'm Yovam Buha from The Athletic, and this is Stargazing.

Yo, yo, welcome to Stargazing, a show about the lifestyle figures and influencers that surround

the superstars in NBA culture. I'm your host, Yovon Buha, NBA reporter for The Athletic.

And joining me is Christian Bowman, aka Chef Sebo.

He is a private chef to athletes and celebrities,

including the likes of Jimmy Butler, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving.

Christian, thank you for being here.

Man, thank you for having me, bro. I appreciate you reaching out. Like I said, this is a love podcast. So coming on here is a blessing. So thank you for having me. So let's get into your story. You're a chef, but your first love was basketball. Definitely. So how did you fall in love with basketball? What's your relationship with basketball growing up? Growing up as a kid, I mean, you always want to play some type of sport. My role model back then was my older brother. He played basketball. He played a palisades high school. He played Division I, like, looked up to him as a kid. When I was kind of like younger growing up, you know, I kind of wanted to be like him.

And I fell in love with the game at an early age, played, started playing basketball.

I probably about the age of like five or six.

I played from elementary school, the middle school, high school.

...