Adam Morrison: Balancing Type 1 Diabetes and Pro-Basketball

This week we will be profiling celebrities with diabetes.

Born in 1984 in Glendive, Montana, Los Angeles Laker Adam Morrison is the son of a basketball coach. After losing thirty pounds, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the tender age of thirteen while playing in an eighth grade basketball game. Like every obstacle he faced in his adult life, Adam responded to his diagnosis with dignity and strength, telling the nurse who came for the second time to administer insulin, “Since I am going to be doing this the rest of my life, you might as well show me how to do it.”

Despite his bravery, such a diagnosis is understandably overwhelming to anyone of any age. In his own words:

“You don’t know the whole spectrum of diabetes when you are told that you have it... You hear the horror stories about what can happen if you don’t take care of your diabetes. Being as young as I was, that can put a lot of fear into you.”

At 6 feet 8 inches tall, Adam had a stellar, three-year collegiate run while at Gonzaga University, and became a cultural icon with his trademark long hair, throwback mustache and on-the-court intensity. He was considered one of the top college basketball players of the 2005-2006 season. He was a finalist for the Naismith and the Wooden Award and named Co-Player of the Year with Duke University's J. J. Redick by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He also won the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year award.

Adam Morrison was the nation's leading scorer in the 2005-2006 season and he is blessed with a wonderful attitude and top-of-the-line medical care. While playing, in order to keep his blood sugar down, he sometimes needs insulin, which he takes via a syringe during timeouts. He does wear an insulin pump, which is attached to his abdomen when he is off the court. Turning lemons into lemonade, Morrison said his diabetes gives him an advantage. In a recent Diabetes Health interview, he said:

“You have to be a little more disciplined when you’re a diabetic. You’ve got to be disciplined every day… I was blessed with Dr. Cathcart who, from day one, said that I can do whatever I wanted to as long as I take care of myself… He never said, ‘You have to place limitations on yourself.’ That positive reinforcement let me know that everything was going to be alright…” 

Morrison has his own strict regimen, which dictates that that he must eat exactly the same meals at the same time on game days. His open and generous nature have transformed this star player into a role model for children and their families suffering from diabetes. Sports Illustrated did a four-page spread on his life with diabetes during Morrison’s freshman year in 2003. The very first day the magazine hit the stands, more than 50 parents of children suffering from diabetes contacted the Gonzaga's athletic department, beseeching the athlete to offer some words of encouragement to their children.

Adam has to check his blood-sugar level periodically during games, and usually injects himself with insulin at least once during its course, although he plays down his daily battles with the disease. 

"It‘s just something I have to deal with and …it depends on how my body reacts to the food I ate the day before.  It also depends on the importance of the game, the adrenaline, the pace of the game. I’ve had games where I’ve taken five shots and games when I’ve taken none, so it depends on the situation and how well my body and I prepare for it.”

Morrison’s advice to other people suffering from diabetes is to simply make sure you are taking care of yourself. 

Good words to follow from a man who is a pro in more ways than one!

By M Dee Dubroff