As the nation’s biggest college basketball tournament opens this week, players are not only looking to rebound on the court but also post-game so they can give it their all in the next round. One former college basketball star – now one of the biggest pros in the sport – has shown how rebounding and shattering records are Built with Chocolate Milk.

Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers dominates the backboards, and for years the 6’10” power forward has downed chocolate milk to help him rebound on and off the court. With 82 professional basketball games scheduled each season, extensive travel and almost no days off, it’s essential for him to restore his body after games and practices. Love knows that low-fat chocolate milk has high-quality protein to build lean muscle and nutrients to help muscles rebound.

At the peak of his career, Love will now star in a national TV, print and digital campaign that debuts today. The Built with Chocolate Milk campaign, run by the Milk Processor Education Program, will show fans the secret to his rebounding skills, which started when Love’s mom gave him chocolate milk following his basketball games as a kid. The 30-second TV spot pits Love against a basketball-shooting robot that tests his 97-percent rebounding average by rapid firing numerous shots. Ultimately, Love defeats the machine by nailing every rebound until the robot burns out.

‘Chocolate Milk Has Been My Go-to Recovery Drink’

“One core component to my success as a pro basketball player, and something that has remained consistent in my training for years, is recovering after games and tough workouts,” said Love. “Thanks to my mom, chocolate milk has been my go-to recovery drink since I was eight years old, and ever since, it’s helped me come back game after game after game.”

Love joins a long line-up of elite athletes who make chocolate milk their post-workout drink of choice, such as IRONMAN^® Triathlon Champions Mirinda Carfrae, Craig Alexander and Luke McKenzie.

“Kevin does what many other elite athletes have been doing for years – rebounds with chocolate milk,” said Miranda Abney, marketing director at the Milk Processor Education Program, the group behind the Built with Chocolate Milk campaign. “Breaking records and consistently being a game changer for his team, it’s no surprise Love is one of the biggest names in the sport right now. In this campaign, exercisers everywhere can get a unique look into what he does on and off the court to get results."

Chocolate Milk: Built With Science

More than 20 scientific studies including athletes from sports spanning running, cycling, swimming and soccer support the benefits of recovering after strenuous exercise with the high-quality protein and nutrients found in chocolate milk. As part of a regular recovery routine, drinking chocolate milk an ideal way to help athletes rebuild and reshape with high quality protein scientifically shown to help repair muscles.

In fact, drinking chocolate milk after a tough workout could give athletes a performance edge. According to a recent study, runners ran twenty-three percent longer in the next run and saw a thirty-eight percent increase in signs of muscle building when they drank fat free chocolate milk after their run, compared to a carb-only sports drink.^[i] Other research suggests regularly recovering with chocolate milk could help athletes tone up.

Milk’s high-quality protein has been shown to help athletes gain more lean muscle compared to drinking a carb-only or soy protein beverage, and even lose fat when compared to drinking a carb-only beverage, as part of a regular workout and recovery routine.^{[ii], [iii], [iv]}

To learn more about the campaign and the science behind the recovery benefits of low-fat chocolate milk, and to watch Kevin Love’s 30-second TV spot and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, visit BuiltWithChocolateMilk.com.

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