Former NFL great Akbar Gbajabiamila, 39, is back on NBC co-hosting the 10th season of American Ninja Warrior, with actor and comedian Matt Iseman, as the show’s competitors tackle a sequence of grueling obstacle courses, hoping to make final rounds in Las Vegas.
What is your favorite thing about American Ninja Warrior?
I think the storytelling really draws people in. For me, it just makes people more relatable. I always say we are all more alike than we’re not; and when you hear a lot of these stories, you get to know the competitors at a different level.
What’s the best part of being a dad to your four children?
Raising them to be better human beings, to be conscious of the other kids they’re around and to teach them the things that I learned growing up.
What do you hope to pass on to them?
It’s cool when I get to pass something to my kids that my father taught me. People always talk about generational wealth. I think generational wealth is bigger than just the amount of money you’re able to pass on—the information, the character, all of those things that you can give to your kids. Hopefully, [one day] they will say, “Hey, I got this from my dad or my grandfather.”
Do they want to become warriors?
We just announced that we’re doing American Ninja Warrior Junior and I’m going to get my daughter to try out. She’s excited about it, but we’ve got some training to do.
Your dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and ANW had a contestant, Jimmy Choi, who also has Parkinson’s. What did you learn from him?
What I learned from Jimmy Choi is to be able to fight through your own personal obstacles, not to live up to limitations set by others, even if it’s coming from a doctor. Jimmy Choi inspired me and people with Parkinson’s. It led me to join the Michael J. Fox Foundation as a board member to be a part of the solution in finding a cure for Parkinson’s.
To raise funds, you’re doing a Parkour 4 Parkinson’s this summer.
It’s great because it’s essentially giving kids an opportunity to come out and have fun, and learn from some of the best Ninjas while raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. It’s something that I’m passionate about.
I talked to my team, to the folks over at the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and I didn’t want to do an event that was based on celebrities. I wanted it to be based on kids, based on people in the community. It’s going to be at the same place where I trained for Ninja Warrior, DojoBoom in Thousand Oaks. Kevin Bull runs this gym. He’s one of our All-Star Ninjas, so we’re expecting a huge crowd.
Last time we spoke, you had gone vegan. How is that going?
I quit after four months. I’m back on a regular high-protein diet, but I am more cognizant of what I consume. I’ve never really been a big, red-meat guy, but I’ve minimized that dramatically in my diet. I stick with a lot of fish, chicken, and I don’t do yolks.
What was the hardest part of being vegan?
The breaking point for me was Thanksgiving. My wife went to Whole Foods and bought this turkey that was made from cauliflower, but they shaved it to make it look like a half breast. I thought, “Oh, I can’t wait.” I cut into it and I bit it. . . In my head I thought it would taste differently. They probably seasoned it and did something to make it taste like a turkey, but it was a cauliflower. I’m grateful that I had food, but a week after that I was like, “I’m done.”
Can you share the meaning of your name?
My first name, Akbar, is Arabic for “great.” My last name means “big man come save me.” I have two middle names—Idowu, which means “born after twins,” and Oluwakemi means “God will protect me.” In our culture in Nigeria, your grandparents name you, and it tells a story of where you are in your birth order and what’s expected of you. It’s great.
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