Boston Celtics ‘Jaylen Brown’ was once questioned on whether he had been fasting in the play offs during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. He replied, ‘Ramadan is a special time for your relationship with God and distractions and negativity from pulling you away from being your higher self. Ramadan is something special that has saved me in many ways…..in reality some things are bigger than basketball’.
Ramadan evidently does not prevent NBA players from excelling in their careers but does in fact, assist them in propelling and achieving excellence.
Take Hakeem Olajuwon for an example, in 1994-1995 NBA season, Olajuwon played 15 games during Ramadan. In those 15 games, he averaged 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks.
More recently, muslim players, such as Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown, exemplify Hakeem’s behaviour. Kyrie Irving has illustrated stellar performances as an athlete whilst abstaining from food and drink.
Irving put up 37 points against the Philadelphia 76ers and 32 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021. His playmaking abilities have also been able to shine as he has been averaging 8.5 assists since Ramadan had began.
Similarly, Jaylen Brown started the month of Ramadan strong by scoring 40 points in 32 minutes against one of the top-rated defences, the Los Angeles Lakers.
So what exactly is it that is contributing towards this success? There are a plethora of studies proving the amazing health benefits of fasting but let’s take a closer look at what fasting actually does to the body of an athlete:
In a study which examined the effects of Intermittent fasting of experienced male lifters (5-year history of 3-5 days/week training upper and lower body)), fasting for 16 hours a day and eating for 8, increased metabolic flexibility. Other studies showed a maintenance of energy expenditure and a reduction of inflammation.
Whilst much excitement is brewing regarding the 2023 NBA play offs (which are only a week away), it is important to note, that your favourite muslim NBA player may just surprise you by fasting and excelling on the court all at the same time (God willing).
