About Adam Kemp: Professional Basketball Player, M.S. Nutrition Education

I’m Adam Kemp, a professional basketball player, fitness writer, and nutrition educator. Since beginning my professional career in 2014, I have spent more than a decade playing across Europe and Eurasia while building Adam Kemp Fitness as a place to share practical, evidence-based information on basketball, training, nutrition, recovery, and long-term health.

Before turning professional, I played NCAA Division I basketball at Marist College, where I became a four-year starter and finished my career among the program’s all-time leaders in rebounds and blocked shots.

I graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Communication and a minor in Psychology.

Throughout my basketball career, I built Adam Kemp Fitness, a platform where I collaborate with global experts to share science-backed health, fitness, and nutrition advice.

With my experiences from my career in athletics and a master’s degree in Nutrition Education from American University (2022), I’ve helped athletes and fitness enthusiasts optimize their performance and overall well-being.

Additionally, my insights have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, Sports Illustrated, AskMen, and Men’s Journal, showcasing my expertise in health, fitness, and wellness.

From growing up in tiny Sherrill, New York, and playing at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School to eventually competing against future NBA stars like Anthony Davis at Rupp Arena, playing against Partizan in Belgrade, and traveling the world playing the game I love, my journey is something I could never have imagined.

Throughout my time, I’ve been fortunate to play for and learn from basketball legends like Jeff Bower and Ettore Messina and experience the highest levels of professional athletics.

However, my journey has not been without challenges. Dealing with severe asthma, Tourette Syndrome, and various injuries, I’ve developed resilience and a deep understanding of overcoming adversity to maintain peak performance.

These personal experiences shape the foundation of my work as I aim to help others achieve their best, whether on the court, field, pitch, rink, or in everyday life.

My Basketball Career

My professional career has taken me through leagues and competitions across Europe, including the Basketball Champions League, VTB United League, and FIBA Europe Cup.

After graduating from Marist College in 2014, where I ranked 3rd All-Time in Blocks and Rebounds in school history, I began my professional basketball career, playing across some of the top leagues in Europe and Eurasia, including the VTB United League, Basketball Champions League, and FIBA Europe Cup.

I also had the opportunity to play for the Detroit Pistons in the 2015 NBA Summer League and participated in training camp with EuroLeague powerhouse Olimpia Milano in 2022.

Some of the most meaningful moments of my career have come in Poland. I earned a silver medal with Legia Warszawa in 2021-2022 and later won the 2025–26 Polish 1 Liga championship with Astoria Bydgoszcz.

Basketball has given me the opportunity to compete in different countries, learn from high-level coaches and teammates, and experience the physical and mental demands of professional sports firsthand.

Those experiences shape much of what I write about today, especially athletic performance, strength and power development, conditioning, recovery, nutrition, and longevity.

The Turning Point in My Life: Going to Prep School

A significant turning point came in 2010 when Coach Michael Byrnes from the Winchendon School offered me a post-graduate year to mature physically and mentally while playing in the competitive New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC).

This opportunity allowed me to train intensely and compete against top high school players, helping me earn basketball scholarship offers.

College Success

I chose Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where I became a four-year starter, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Communications and a minor in Psychology.

Despite numerous injuries, I left Marist second in career blocks and third in career rebounds.

My college experience, though filled with injuries, taught me valuable lessons about health and fitness.

Professional Basketball and Continuous Education

After college, I started my professional career in Macedonia and played for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Summer League.

Over ten seasons, I faced injuries like a total ankle destruction, a Pars fracture, and severe COVID-19, but each challenge taught me more about optimizing my health and fitness. I also earned my ISSA Personal Trainer Certification in 2020 and a master’s degree in Nutrition Education from American University in 2022.

About Adam Kemp Fitness

I created Adam Kemp Fitness to share the lessons I have learned through professional basketball, formal education, research, injuries, recovery, and my own pursuit of better health and performance.

The site covers basketball, fitness, athletic performance, nutrition, supplements, recovery, and wellness.

My goal is to make complex health and performance topics easier to understand without oversimplifying the evidence or pretending there is one perfect solution for everyone.

My work has also been featured or cited by publications including Forbes, Sports Illustrated, AskMen, Men’s Journal, and other national media outlets. View my media features and interviews →

How Overcoming Challenges Shaped my Journey

Despite being 6’10” and playing NCAA Division One basketball at Marist College and professionally in Europe and Eur-Asia for over a decade, I wasn’t a natural athlete.

My achievements are the result of intense training, a passion for optimizing health, and unwavering faith in God and Jesus Christ, believing I have a purpose to lead people to a healthier, more fulfilling life.

I wasn’t born a natural athlete; I struggled with severe exercise-induced asthma and Tourette Syndrome, which made sports challenging.

My breathing issues led to various treatments that disrupted my metabolism, and the motor tics from Tourette’s made me introverted, spending hours playing video games.

I didn’t receive any NCAA Division One or Two scholarship offers coming out of high school due to my physical limitations and my small-town background in Upstate New York.

Independence and Integrity: The Cornerstones of Adam Kemp Fitness

My primary career has been professional basketball, which has allowed Adam Kemp Fitness to develop independently rather than around a single product, supplement company, or commercial partnership.

The site does contain advertising and affiliate links, but those relationships do not determine the conclusions I reach.

When I review a product or discuss a supplement, training method, or wellness strategy, I try to separate personal experience from established evidence and clearly explain both the potential benefits and the limitations.

I also believe credibility means being willing to change an opinion when better evidence becomes available.

Health and performance research continues to evolve, and my goal is to keep learning rather than defend old ideas simply because I once believed them.

Faith, Family, and Perspective

My Christian faith has been an important source of perspective throughout my career, especially during injuries, uncertainty, and difficult periods.

I believe the opportunities I have been given come with a responsibility to use what I have learned to help other people improve their health and quality of life.

Away from basketball and writing, I am a husband and father.

Those roles have also changed how I think about health: performance still matters to me, but so do longevity, energy, resilience, and being physically capable for the people who depend on me.

Where to Start

If you are an athlete, I recommend starting with my Basketball, Athletic Performance, and Recovery sections.

If your goals are broader, explore my Fitness, Nutrition, Supplements, and Wellness guides for practical, evidence-based information you can apply to everyday life.

I have also written two books that bring together many of the strategies I use in my own health and performance routine. 

Adam Kemp’s 7-Day Detox: A Natural Approach to Resetting Your Body and Mind is a 60-page guide built around simple nutrition, movement, and daily wellness habits designed to help you improve energy, gut health, and consistency without extreme dieting.

It includes meal plans, workouts, and daily practices that have supported me throughout my basketball career and beyond.

If you’re serious about making lasting changes to your health, this book is the perfect place to start.

My second book, The Athlete Sleep System, focuses on the sleep strategies I use as a professional athlete to support recovery, energy, and performance.

Whether you are trying to perform at a higher level, recover better, improve your nutrition, or build healthier habits, my goal is to give you practical information you can actually use.

Thank you for visiting AdamKempFitness.com, and I look forward to helping you!