When gets hungry, she knows that as an athlete she’s supposed to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.
“I love peaches, yogurts and beef jerky, and I just got into eating almonds,” said the 31-year-old , who joined the team in 2011.
“But as far as diet goes, it’s tough finding the time to eat healthy when you’re on tour.”
That’s no small thing, as Maddox (real first name: Fatima) plays upwards of 200 games each year with the Globetrotters — or more than double the average NBA player. And despite the entertainment value in what the Globetrotters do, Maddox’ job is still intensely athletic, requiring her to dribble, shoot and run the court as much as any other player, in addition to hours of daily workout and training routines.
Fortunately, Maddox benefits from the Globetrotters’ full-time trainer and nutritionist Robert Ortiz, a former Coloradan who worked at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
It’s the same town, incidentally, in which Maddox was raised.
“He travels with us and tries to do his best to make sure we’re not only staying on top of our diets but getting our core exercises in,” said Maddox. “We work together a lot with medicine-ball throws but also planks, sit-ups and things like that.”
Maddox’s skills and training will be on display when the Globetrotters return for a string of Front Range shows next month, including stops at Colorado Springs’ World Arena on March 6, the Pepsi Center on March 7, Broomfield’s 1stBank Center (also March 7) and Loveland’s Budweiser Events Center on March 8 (tickets at
Despite being only the ninth woman to play for the Globetrotters when she joined the team, Maddox feels right at home in the 89-year-old, internationally touring club.
“I wasn’t really sure how receptive the guys were going to be, because for most of them it was the first time they were playing with a female,” Maddox said. “But they’re very respectful and professional, and now anywhere I go I feel like I have 20 to 30 bodyguards with me.”
Maddox earned scholarships to play college basketball in New Mexico before transferring to Temple University in Philadelphia, where she played for three-time Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley.
But her athletic career could have gone a very different route. “I was into track and field in high school and got quite a few offers to do that,” said Maddox, who set state records in both the long jump and triple jump when she ran for . “I miss it, and trying out for the Olympics would have been cool, but I just wasn’t able to give it the time it needed.”
That’s not an issue for Maddox’s “first love” of basketball, which earned her the TNT nickname based on her explosive breaks and crossovers on the court. The 5’6″ player signed with the WNBA’s Houston Comets out of college but didn’t make the team, so she switched gears and joined the Swedish professional basketball team the Norrkoping Dolphins.
After two years overseas, she tried out for the Globetrotters and has since traveled the country several times over, meeting fans, working with children, and even shooting hoops with President Barack Obama.
“We played a game with some kids where you have to do push-ups if you miss a shot, and he missed some,” she said. “And I’m like, ‘Dude, you know you don’t have to do those push-ups, right?’ But he said, ‘I missed my free-throws!’ “
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642, jwenzel@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnwenzel
