Building His Net Worth: Wizard Caron Butler is Back at Work Stronger, Leaner and Faster

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DOING THE DEW was doing Caron Butler in. So, in April, the Wizards forward and two-time All-Star did the unthinkable: He abandoned his five-can-a-day habit. "I went cold turkey on soda," Butler says. He suffered through withdrawal and headaches, but ditching the caffeine dependency was a crucial first step in his summer makeover plan. And as the season begins today, the buzz is all about how good he's looking and playing.

"I ended up losing 11 pounds. I got leaner, stronger and faster. I just feel better," Butler says. The 29-year-old — who's been playing in the NBA since 2002 — had started to sense that his career was catching up with him and knew it was time to rethink his training, which had tended to focus on basketball drills and not much else. "My body felt weaker at the end of the season. That wear and tear builds up," says Butler, who's missed at least 15 games each of the last three seasons.

So, over the summer, he partnered with a pal from high school — Eric M. Harris, who's now a sports performance enhancement specialist — and they got down to business. That meant not touching a ball or thinking about dribbling for nearly two months while they instead honed his core strength, improved his flexibility and boosted his speed. "We did a lot of running at first just to get his body in shape for what we were going to do," says Harris.

Their rigorous schedule included a heavy dose of track drills, like high knees and skips, along with exercises that incorporated plyometrics (jumping to develop explosive power) and agility. Every day, they rolled out a ladder along the ground and worked on hurrying Butler's feet as he moved forward, backward and sideways through the slats. Harris would also place a series of cones around a field and bark out orders for Butler to sprint or backpedal from one to the other. "It teaches the body to stay focused and have to think while being fatigued," Harris explains. "And that's something you have to do on the court."

Butler's not sure he could have kept up with the daily morning and afternoon workouts at George Mason University if he hadn't simultaneously revamped his diet with the help of Harris and his personal chef. Beyond kicking the Mountain Dew addiction (he swapped in water and juices), he also started eating breakfast — such as oatmeal with strawberries, egg-white omelets and smoothies. "Without that sugar rush, I was feeling fresher," he says. Harris, who isn't a fan of supplements, also convinced Butler to keep his energy up with healthy, protein-packed snacks between meals.

It helped, too, that the program included icing, stretching and even yoga. "Downward dog lets me stretch my spine. It got me feeling looser and longer," Butler raves.

And, more importantly, it got him ready to get back to playing basketball. "It's changed my game a lot because I'm more energetic. I've improved in all aspects," he says. Butler doesn't just mean the way he plays, although he does promise to score more. He also means the way he looks. "I'll always be near the camera," he jokes. That'll be a handy way for Harris to keep tabs on him — until next summer.

Photos by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post