THROWBACK: Why Did NBA and Fitness Legend Hakeem Olajuwon Eat A Whopping 100 Chicken Nuggets?

Hakeem Olajuwon has many impressive records to his name. Winning the MVP and DPOY in the same year and having the most blocks NBA history are some of these. However, Hakeem’s most untouchable record though was birthed off the court.

Hakeem Olajuwon 100 Point Record

The 2-time NBA champion was shooting an ad for McDonald’s in his Houston Rockets days. Hakeem was eating chicken nuggets for the shoot, but he wasn’t spitting them out in between takes. The Hall of Famer was eating a chicken nugget in every take. Moreover, the 5-hour shoot took almost 100 takes, which made for one of the funniest records ever. The Center had gulped down about 100 nuggets and didn’t break a sweat while doing so.

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Even though Hakeem is not an average-sized man, 100 nuggets are still too much despite the center’s massive build. The Nigerian Big Man ate nuggets that weighed a whopping total of 3.75 lbs. Hakeem was also asked by the director if he wanted a non-edible substitute to the nugget, but he declined. Olajuwon only stopped eating the nuggets because the shoot came to an end, otherwise, who knows how many nuggets he could’ve hunkered down before giving up for the better.

Surprisingly, Hakeem is a fitness legend

The surprising thing is, players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant consulted Hakeem for their fitness and footwork. The man who gulped down a week worth of nuggets in a 5-hour span is still known to be one of the fittest and most dominating centers in the history of the NBA.  Most NBA stars have consulted the two-time champ to improve their footwork and master “The Dream Shake”.

Hakeem won back-to-back championships for the Rockets in the ’90s and bested the greats with his dream shake. Hakeem is also considered one of the greatest players in the history of basketball. He was a center with guard-like agility. It will always be difficult to comprehend how he maintained that level of fitness while having such irregular eating habits.