Nets veterans find new and interesting ways to while away the hours

Garrett Temple remains in Brooklyn, DeAndre Jordan is in Malibu and both are still participating in the daily calls with the Nets performance team, still communicating with teammates in group chats, still talking with the front office and coaching staff. Jordan is even going to the HSS Training Center to get treatment on his shoulder and knee.

But for Temple, 33, and Jordan, 31, there’s other things to consider beyond basketball. Not that they’re ready to hang them up, but they’re looking at things differently.

According to reports from The Athletic and Reuters, the two are doing some interesting things with their new spare time. Temple is studying for the LSAT —the law school version of the SAT— while Jordan is perfecting his mindfulness, producing a TV show on it for a new cable channel that looks at players lives.

As has been reported previously, Temple is intrigued by the law. Known by his teammate as “Mr. President,” Temple has been active in the players union, rising to the level of executive vice-president. He said he was inspired by the movie “Just Mercy,” about how attorney Bryan Stevenson appealed a wrongful murder conviction. Temple had a phone call with Stevenson shortly after seeing the film.

“It just really made an impact on me on the power prosecutors have,” Temple told Alex Schiffer. “Some use it for good, some don’t use it for good. Those type of things had me thinking about something I could be doing.”

Temple is enrolled in a weekly, three-hour class on Saturdays to help prepare, Schiffer writes. “I honestly have an itch,” Temple said. “As a competitor, I find myself wanting to get 10 out of 10 on a practice test. If I get 31 out of 33 I’m like, damn. If there’s tough questions, I at least want to get a five out of seven. It reminds me of shooting the basketball.”

Jordan’s interest in mindfulness and meditation is also well known. In talking to Rory Carroll of Reuters, the Nets center spoke about how his interest is helping him through the quarantine and he’s starting up a TV show to let other players and the world know its value.

Mindful Life, which debuted last week on PlayersTV, a new channel on Samsung TV Plus that delves into the lives of athletes.

As Carroll writes, the show follows Jordan as “he immerses himself in sound baths, indulges in exotic plant-based meals and performs yoga with goats to highlight the fun and adventurous side of mindfulness.”

“I want the show to be like nothing anyone has ever seen before,” he told Reuters during a phone interview from Malibu.

“A lot of different athletes have different routines but I feel like I’m in my own lane,” he said. “I want to be able to share that part of my life with other athletes and fans and anybody who is interested in it.

“As much as we can spread knowledge, it only helps us grow.”

Meanwhile, it was announced Thursday that Jordan has arranged for the donation of one million vegan burgers...

Temple and Jordan are two players with different charisma. Just as they project it on court, they are now looking to fill the hours productively.

• Why Nets guard Garrett Temple is using this down time to prepare for law school - Alex Schiffer - The Athletic New York
• Jordan says mindfulness helping him weather COVID-19 crisis - Rory Carroll - Reuters