10 Things You Didn’t Know about Akbar Gbajabiamila

10 Things You Didn’t Know about Akbar Gbajabiamila

Many professional athletes struggle to figure out what to do with themselves when their sports careers end. After all, most professional athletes are ready for retirement by the time they’ve hit their mid to late 30s. For those reasons, former NFL player, Akbar Gbajabiamila, started laying the foundation for the second half of his career while he was still in the first. While he was still in the league, he did some volunteer work at FOX 5 KSWB-TV. Once he retired from football, he transitioned into a full-time career in broadcasting. Now, most people know him best as one of the hosts of American Ninja Warrior. Continue reading for 10 things you didn’t know about Akbar Gbajabiamila.

1. He’s An Author

Since leaving football, Akbar has proven that sports aren’t the only thing he’s good at. He has also written and released a book aimed at helping other people along the journey to pursue their dreams. His book, which is titled Everyone Can Be a Ninja, was released in 2019 is part autobiographical and part self help.

2. He Is A First Generation American

Akbar was born and raised in Los Angeles where he attended Crenshaw High School. However, both of his parents were born in Nigeria and immigrated to the United States. Akbar is incredibly proud of both of the places that have shaped the man he grew up to become.

3. He Loves To Do Volunteer Work

Aside from sports and broadcasting, one of the main things that has defined Akbar’s career is his volunteer work. He has always been passionate about giving back to the community and helping those in need. He is a board member of the Asomugha Foundation which works to “empower disadvantaged youth and women”.  Akbar also on the board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research which is especially close to his heart as his father was diagnosed with the illness in 2000.

4. He’s A Vegan

Even though his days as a professional athlete are over, Akbar still likes to keep himself in tip-top shape. A healthy diet is one of the most important components to keeping your body feeling good. Akbar has chosen to follow a vegan diet. Although most people have the wrong idea that vegans don’t eat anything but leaves and fruits, Akbar still enjoys a wide variety of dishes.

5. He Is An Advocate For Financial Literacy

When it comes to helping those in his community, financial literacy is one of the things Akbar is most passionate about. As someone who didn’t grow up with lots of money, he found that he had really poor spending habits once he started seeing big checks. He is now a big advocate for “planned spending” and hopes to use his knowledge to help others avoid making the same mistakes he did.

6. He Has Some Acting Experience

Being an athlete and working in broadcasting is what Akbar is best-known for, but those aren’t the only things that have put him in front of the camera. He also has a little bit of acting experience under his belt. He has had roles in three short films and also appeared as himself in an episode of The Night Shift.

7. He Was Also A Talented Basketball Player

Football is the sport that got Akbar to the pros, but it isn’t the only one he was good at. When he was a student at Crenshaw High, Akbar was also well-known for his skills on the basketball court. During his time there, the team won two back-to-back city championships in basketball.

8. He Is A Father Of Four

Akbar’s career may seem like the only thing he’s been focused on for the last 20 years, but that isn’t the case at all. He has also put a lot of time and effort into building a great life at home. He is happily married to Chrystal Gbaja-Biamila and the couple has four children together. In June 2020, Akbar revealed that his children and his niece had been racially profiled while exploring the neighborhood they had recently moved to in Los Angeles.

9. He Has A Degree In Communications

Akbar attended San Diego State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. On top of leaving college to have a career in the NFL, Akbar has also gotten to make good use of his communications degree thanks to his career in broadcasting and TV hosting.

10. He Has A YouTube Channel

Being a YouTuber is another thing Akbar can add to his already stacked resume. He started his channel over a decade ago, but has recently started posting consistently. He currently has over 11,000 followers. What’s more impressive, though, is the fact that his channel has over 4.5 million views.

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