It's summertime in Columbus, Ohio. Jared Sullinger and Evan Turner, two Ohio State All-Americans-turned-NBA millionaires, have just wrapped another grueling offseason workout. They're famished, in need of fuel.

So Sullinger and Turner hop in their sports cars and race from campus to the Easton Town Center for a plate of pasta and Skinnylicious salmon, respectively, at The Cheesecake Factory. Last one there has to pick up the check.

"He has a Ferrari, so he wins that one," Sullinger said. "I think he was setting me up."

Their love of America’s no. 1 ranked casual-dining chain—a model of fiscal excellence, with sales reaching up to $1,000 per square foot—is hardly unusual among their NBA peers. Despite their deep pocket books, pro basketball players have an appetite for The Cheesecake Factory that borders on cult fanaticism. Over the years, attempts to crack this strange code between hoops stars and the cheesecake stalwart have mainly come in the form of speculation from team trainers and sports analysts. Those investigations pointed to portion sizes, consistency, and accessible luxury among prevailing motivations driving pro ballers' passion for Cheesecake Factory.

Some of those same explanations resurfaced, in even crisper detail, when we went straight to the source: the players themselves. To get to the bottom of the NBA’s Cheesecake Factory fetish, we stepped into locker rooms at Staples Center in Los Angeles—the Lakers’, the Clippers’, and the visitors’—to ask nearly 30 NBA players the tough questions. You know, like, “What did you order?"; "Do you get the cheesecake when you go?"; and "Why does everyone love the brown bread?”

“It has to be fresh,” Toronto Raptors forward Jared Sullinger insisted about the brown bread. “It’s got to be right out of the oven.” 

Every Cheesecake obsession has its own origin story. Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe frequented the Factory long before he landed in the league—let alone re-signed with Portland for nearly $75 million this past summer. “Before I was in the NBA, Cheesecake used to be the little date spot,” he said. “I never wanted to change that or thought I was too good for it.”

For many who start out in the league, The Cheesecake Factory is aspirational. For those who rode basketball out of poverty, like Indiana Pacers center Al Jefferson, it’s a quantum leap forward culinarily, but one that won’t break the bank for those managing the budgets of their rookie contracts. 

“I think it’s a five-star restaurant with three-star prices,” Jefferson said. 

By and large, players become Cheesecake regulars as a matter of convenience. You’ll find at least one in every NBA city, often near the hotels, practice facilities, and arenas. “I used to go a lot my rookie year because in Utah, a lot of restaurants close early,” Jazz big man Rudy Gobert explained. Before him, Enes Kanter was Utah’s Cheesecake King, calling on blondes to join him at his table via Twitter. Nowadays, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks hold court there.

However hoopers come to their Cheesecake habits, the ones that stick around do so for similar reasons. The quality and reliability of the food from location to location. The giant portions. The extensive menu. All of these factors make the Cheesecake Factory an ideal stomping ground for big athletes with even bigger appetites who dine out in groups. "There’s always this one giant round table for us," says Chicago Bulls center Robin Lopez. "If you’re in a big group sitting at a round table, you feel really legendary."

Here, in their own words, NBA players explain why they can’t get enough of the Cheesecake Factory.

Locker-room chatter: "Once upon a time, that was the place to go to. We used to go pretty often when I lived, before I moved out to Calabasas. Usually, if my wife’s out of town or something like that, it’s just me with the kids; that’s where we’re going."

Locker-room chatter: "I’m a huge fan of Cheesecake Factory. Before I was in the NBA, Cheesecake used to be the little date spot. I never wanted to change that or thought I was too good for it. We got one in Portland, and I go there all the time. Probably about 15 minutes [away]. I can make the drive over there."

Locker-room chatter: "People like it. The young players, you know? It’s a craving, especially if you’re young. I don’t know how many NBA players actually grew up lower class, but I’m assuming a lot. Cheesecake Factory is something you always wanted to go to. It looks like it’s fine dining. Can we invest in the Cheesecake Factory at a discount? Seriously. Ask them, then you can call me and figure this out. Invest a dollar and we get 2 dollars back. I’ll take it."

Locker-room chatter: "I love it. When I first got in the league, it was my go-to spot. It’s like a 5-star restaurant with 3-star prices. Like, shit, coming from Mississippi, it was a 5-star restaurant."

Locker-room chatter: "There’s one in my hometown, Columbus Ohio. Actually, me and Evan Turner used to always go there. We were like, 'The first one gets there doesn’t have to pay the bill.' That used to be our thing. He has a Ferrari so he wins that one. I think he was setting me up. When you’re in college, Cheesecake Factory is like a 5-star restaurant. Next thing you know, you’ve got good vets that take you certain places. And then when you get that second contract or, hell, after you collect a couple paychecks, you go to those places because you can manage your money like that. Cheesecake is still on the list if it needs me."

Locker-room chatter: "Cheesecake—that’s huge for me coming up. You’ve got to appreciate the versatility they bestow upon you every time you walk through the door. In Boston, I lived up the street from a Cheesecake Factory. Now, you run into the 5-star dining and all that nonsense. I be tired of that sometimes."

Locker-room chatter: "Alec Burks goes every day. I mean, the menu—you can get everything."

Locker-room chatter: For me, I just like the dim lighting, chill vibe, the temptation of the dessert. I didn't realize it was so popular in the NBA. Other than Drake rapping about, it's probably just that everybody has a little inner fat side, so everybody probably wants to get a treat from time to time."

Locker-room chatter: "In Utah I was going with vets. That Utah team was a little younger. It was like me, Deron (Williams), Paul (Millsap), Ronnie Price. Boozer would go with us sometimes. It wasn’t a money thing [though]."

Locker-room chatter: "I’m not a huge cheesecake fan myself, but my mom always gets Oreo cheesecake. The menu got everything on it. Strawberry lemonade is good..." 
*CJ Miles interrupts* “That shit is fire. It’s like diabetes in a cup!"

Locker-room chatter: "Cheesecake is one of my favorite places to go to when I’m back in L.A. I feel like it’s a hot spot. Good but not too expensive. They have one in Santa Monica, and then there's one over in Beverly Hills that I used to go to when I was in college."

Locker-room chatter: "The music they play in there is pretty nice. They have good waitresses that really come back to you and just serve you well too. They don’t just come every 30 minutes. They come like every 10 minutes to make sure that you’re good."

Locker-room chatter: "They had a red velvet cheesecake I liked a lot. I had a raspberry white chocolate one that was pretty good, too. I’ve never had them all. There are so many."