Peculiar pre-game rituals in professional sports

Wayne Gretzky - The iconic hockey player is very particular about his sticks. He once said,
"I don't like my hockey sticks touching other sticks, and I don't like them crossing one another, and I kind of have them hidden in the corner. I put baby powder on the ends. I think it's essentially a matter of taking care of what takes care of you."

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Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq likes to get in the zone for a big game by going bowling beforehand.

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Tiger Woods - Woods is known for always wearing a red shirt in the final Sunday round of major tournaments. It's allegedly supposed to instill fear in opponents' eyes.

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Dwyane Wade - Before every game Wade does three pull-ups on the rim for good luck.

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Ben Roethlisberger - This professional football player always signs autographs exactly 10 minutes before every game.

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Steph Curry - After his team is done warming up, Curry likes to get the court to himself and add on a few extra sprints.

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Charles Oakley - Before every game Oakley would pass the ball to famed director Spike Lee so he could inspect it.

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Wade Boggs - The famed baseball player loves his chicken. He is known for having a poultry-based meal before every game.

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LeBron James - The famed basketball player's pre-game ritual is taking a handful of chalk and triumphantly tossing it into the air.

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Danny Green - As a way to get loose, Green would do his signature dance to 'Jump Around' by House of Pain before every game.

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Carmelo Anthony - Anthony's pre-game ritual is what he calls "The Inspection." He makes sure to properly look over the basketball before every game, according to TheSportster.

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Sanya Richards-Ross - This Olympian wears a bullet necklace because her mother always said she was faster than a speeding bullet. There was one race where she didn’t wear it and she finished third, thus vowing to never run without it again.

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Justin Morneau - The key to Morneau's success is a pre-game slurpee run. He likes, "One-half Mountain Dew, one-half red or orange stuff."

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Lamar Odom - This professional basketball player has a bit of a sweet tooth. He once said, "The games I played well in were the games where I ate candy for breakfast."

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Les Miles - The head coach for the Louisiana State University football team likes to chew on strands of grass during the game. He explained it by saying, "You might try it. It's not a bad deal. I suspect it's better than chewing tobacco and some other things that people put in their mouths."

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Kevin Garnett - Before every game KG likes to bang his head a few times on the foam protection around pole of the hoop.

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Steve Kerr - Professional basketball player and coach Steve Kerr has an iconic pre-game meal regimen. The night before a game he always has a salad, various appetizers, pasta, chicken, tiramisu, red wine, and an espresso.

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Caron Butler - Butler liked to chew on a straw to keep calm during his games. That is until the NBA ruled it unsanitary. "It calmed me down," Butler said about the straw.

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Jason Terry - Terry's pre-game ritual comes the night before a big game. He wears the opposing team's shorts to bed. After many seasons in the NBA, Terry must have an extensive closet...

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Jason Giambi - This is a strange one. Giambi traded in his game day boxer briefs for a "gold lamé thong with a flame-line waistband," according to the NY Daily News.

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Monta Ellis - This NBA player keeps his hands game-ready by dipping them in hot wax before he plays.

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Steve Young - Quarterback Steve Young requested a cup of dirt from the field he was about to play on, so that he could get a feel of the place by running it through his fingers, according to LDSLiving.

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Kayla Harrison -

For every competition, Harrison wears the lucky socks her grandmother gave her after she won the gold medal for mixed martial arts in 2012.

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Russell Westbrook - All eyes are on Westbrook before a game. He makes sure to get in the zone with weird dance moves and secret handshakes with his teammates.

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Joakim Noah - Noah has a ritual that he describes as "the force." Before every game he goes over to the broadcasters and stares at the game ball, putting the force on it, according to TheSportster.

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Turk Wendell - Wendell's good luck charm is a sharp-toothed hunting necklace that was allegedly made from the teeth of various animals he has killed.

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Dwight Howard - Before every game, Howard sits on the "Throne of Grace." He has later explained that this is just the toilet.

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Byron Leftwich -

Before a game, Leftwich refuses to touch anything with his right hand.

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Michael Jordan - The famed basketball star was known for wearing his alma mater, UNC's, shorts underneath his uniform.

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