PROVO, Utah – Danielle LaFata, MA, RD, CSSD, CLT has been named the director of nutrition for BYU men’s and women’s basketball programs.
“Since becoming the head coach at BYU, I have been deeply committed to player development and using all of our resources to help the players be at their best,” said Kevin Young, BYU men's basketball head coach. “Danielle is world class in her field, solidifying our development program as one of the top in the country. She has worked with some of the best athletes in the world, including her work in the NBA where she played a pivotal role in helping players take their game to new heights. We are extremely excited to have her at BYU.”
“I am really excited to have Danielle work with our team,” said Amber Whiting, BYU women's head coach. “She has worked with the top athletes in their respective sports and her resume speaks for itself. I know she will be a great benefit to our program and will help my women get the nutrition their bodies need to perform at their best, day in and day out.”
LaFata comes to Provo after spending the past four seasons as the director of performance nutrition for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. During her time with the Suns, they made the playoffs four times, including helping them end a decade-long playoff drought in 2021. That same season, they also made their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1993.
During the 2020-21 season, she was instrumental in helping Devin Booker and Chris Paul become the first Sun duo to be named All-Stars since 2010. Booker would earn All-NBA First Team honors the following season and was rewarded with a four-year, $224 million maximum contract extension with the Suns.
LaFata spent six seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants helping the franchise win the World Series in 2012 and 2014. She also helped the organization win its then-record 23 National League pennant.
During that same time LaFata worked with the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, traveling with them to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where they advanced out of the group stage.
LaFata served as the director of performance nutrition pro/elite division at Exos for more than eight years where she counseled individual athletes and sports teams on ways to enhance performance through proper nutrition and hydration. She also helped develop nutrition education material for athletes and industry professionals and work with the education team to grow the mentorship programs. She is also proficient in functional lab testing, nutrigenomics and integrative and functional nutrition.
She is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics and a certified leap therapist. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan while earning a master’s degree in nutrition and food science from Wayne State.