How Phoenix Suns big Jusuf Nurkic adapts to playing while fasting during Ramadan
CHARLOTTE — Phoenix Suns 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic makes the adjustment to eat during Ramadan, which began March 10 this year and ends April 9.
“I wake up at 5 a.m. to eat right before sunrise,” Nurkic said before Thursday’s game at Boston. “It’s not 100% accurate, but I think it’s the easiest way for the fans to understand, people who don’t know about it.”
The idea of having to eat a certain time when playing a sport that requires daily and often hourly nutrition in terms of staying hydrated appears challenging, but Nurkic said “it’s not really a big difference” when it comes to playing in the game.
“I’ve fasted since I was 16,” Nurkic said. “It’s challenge for people who have never done it. They think it’s the end of the world, but nah, it’s really exciting, really happy. I don’t feel much different on the court, especially the games start at 7, 7:30 p.m.”
Nurkic was able to eat a half hour before Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. ET game against the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston.
“It’s more water than the food,” Nurkic said. “It’s not bad. Sometimes the Ramadan in the summer, that’s really challenging. When it’s really hot and humid and you fast for 18 hours, it’s different. For me, nothing has changed. I feel great out there and try to compete and help my team get a win.”
Nurkic is averaging 8.5 points and 14 rebounds in his first two games during Ramadan that’s right around his season average of 11.6 points and 10.9 rebounds going into Friday’s game at Charlotte.
“He plays the same in my opinion,” said Suns forward Nassir Little, who was also a teammate of Nurkic in Portland. “The timing of it, it’s easier in Phoenix because the sun sets way earlier than it did in Portland. He’s able to eat a little something right before game time.”
Muslims fast during Ramadan, meaning they can only eat or drink just before dawn and after sunset. This considered “a private act of worship bringing about nearness to God, as well as a form of spiritual discipline and a means to empathize with those less fortunate,” as explained by Brandeis University.
Nurkic was not ready to think about what will happen Sunday in Milwaukee when the Suns have a noon Central time start that is hours after sunrise and long before sunset, when he can eat and drink.
That will be the final of a four-game road trip that began Monday in Cleveland.
“I got to look at the schedule,” a smiling Nurkic said. “I’m here (in Boston) right now. When we transfer there, I’ll look at that. Cleveland was like 20 or 30-minute difference. Wherever you go, it’s a little different, but not too big.”
Ramadan is the ninth month on the Muslim calendar in which it is believed the Holy Qur’an was sent down from heaven “as guidance for men and women, a declaration of direction, and a means of salvation,” as explained by Brandeis.
“The whole month should make you a better human being,” Nurkic said.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Suns' Jusuf Nurkic adapts to playing while fasting during Ramadan
