NBA players on Hot Ones include Stephen Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler. Steph is the latest basketball star to taste the spice.
“Hot Ones” is a popular YouTube talk show where they invite celebrities from all disciplines for fun interviews while eating special chicken wings that get spicier and spicier with each bite.
The show has become a hit sensation, drawing millions of viewers eager to see which celebrity can handle the heat like a champ and who ends up needing a glass of milk to cool down.
And there have been several NBA stars who have appeared on the show to tackle the spicy challenge. These players have proven that they can stand spicy wings without breaking a sweat. They also gave fans fantastic interviews that provided a peek into their lives.
1. Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry Hot Ones episode aired on the YouTube channel First We Feast on 27 July 2023. Curry’s reaction to every wing is priceless to see.
Besides, Curry is not the first player from the NBA to experience the spiciness of the challenge. The 4-time NBA champion and a pair of MVP winner was on a promotional run for his 2023 released Apple TV+ documentary, “Stephen Curry: Underrated”.
During the episode, Steph had a discussion over multiple topics, including his career, playing style, his recent hole-in-one achievement at the American Century Championship, and remembrances with Kobe Bryant.
Furthermore, the 35-year-old point guard from the Golden State Warriors discussed how his time at Davidson College played a crucial role in shaping his distinctive NBA career while enduring the discomfort of eating increasingly spicier wings.
2. Shaquille O’Neal
An episode of Shaq on Hot Ones stands as the absolute best out of all the NBA players who appeared on the show. Shaquille was in for an enormous shock.
The Inside the NBA analyst was featured on season 8 episode 8 of Hot Ones by First We Feast in March 2019, and the video became an instant hit on YouTube with over 40 million views so far.
All credit goes to the former NBA champion for making people laugh with his hilarious facial expressions while eating spicy wings. Each bite was a whole new level of funny.
The episode, popular as Hot Ones Shaqnosis, gave us an iconic Shaq hot ones meme we are all familiar with. Although he tried his best, he ultimately ended up in tears as he could not handle the intense heat of the hottest sauces on the show named “Da Bomb”.
3. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant sweats it out over Hot Ones challenge sauces. Durant battled through the heat while trying to maintain his cool demeanor but failed badly.
Though KD did a pretty good job tolerating the spice, he began to sweat and tear up as he got to the hotter sauces. He immediately started coughing after tasting the Da Bomb Beyond Insanity sauce which was hilarious to watch.
While munching on those fiery wings, KD talked about his high school rap dreams and social media presence.
The 13-time NBA All-Star also opened up about his dubious Rick James tattoo, shared some fun stories about partying with Drake, and discussed over valuable lessons he learned from Kobe Bryant.
4. Jimmy Butler
The S8 episode 10 of Hot Ones Jimmy Butler released on 28 March 2019 has reached 7.6 million views. Butler took on a spicy challenge with Sean Evans.
At first, Butler said he did not have high expectations for handling spicy food. The basketball star admitted that hot food was not his thing and nervously glanced at the variety of mouth-burning sauces.
As he and Evans, the Hot Ones show host, dive into the spiciest chicken wings, Jimmy spilt the beans about his close friendship with the famous actor Mark Wahlberg.
Moreover, the Miami Heat forward also shares exciting stories about epic shooting contests he had with none other than the legendary Michael Jordan.
He was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers when the episode aired in March 2019, but a few months later, in June, he joined the Heat.
5. Kevin Love
Kevin Love endures the spicy heat of the wings and gets dunked on by the challenge. Love appeared in season 3 of Hot Ones in May 2017.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers power forward cruised through the wings of death while discussing his professional basketball journey and his other interests.
As the intense spiciness began to sizzle his taste buds, with every level of increasing spicy sauces, Kevin conversed everything from his fun youth basketball career memories to his insane diet plan to always stay fit.
On the other hand, Love also spoke about his close friendship with NBA all-time leading scorer LeBron James.
Love gushed about his love for TV shows and movies as they sparked a discussion over the famous HBO show “Game Of Thrones,” while approaching the final wing.
6. Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin is a former Boston Celtics player who appeared in season 7, episode 8 of Hot Ones. Griffin was the 133rd guest on the show.
His episode titled “Blake Griffin Gets Full-Court Pressed By Spicy Wings” was uploaded on November 22, 2018, and as of now, it has grossed over 4 million views on YouTube.
The episode was their third Annual Hot Ones Thanksgiving Special, and as a result, Griffin gets a special treat to try out some seriously spicy turkey wings.
As the Oklahoma native faces on the wings of death, he dialogs everything from his early career as a booming stand-up comedian to breaking down his most promising NBA dunks and that epic moment when he dunked over a Kia Optima.
7. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid showed up for an interview on the YouTube show Hot Ones in June 2018. He embraced the challenge of eating super hot wings on season 6, episode 4.
The host, Sean Evans, asks Embiid various questions while they eat increasingly spicy chicken wings. Embiid discusses his love for Nutella, his responsibilities as an NBA player. He also spoke about his first meeting with the legend Michael Jordan.
Besides, They chatted about Embiid’s ability to handle spicy food and his love for soccer. Embiid shares a favorite play from basketball and discusses his favorite soccer teams, Arsenal and Real Madrid.
The conversation then shifts to Joel’s personal life, including his online courtship with Rihanna and his relationship with Allen Iverson. The video ends with a discussion about Embiid’s love for Philadelphia and how he embraces the city’s culture.
8. JR Smith And Richard Jefferson
JR Smith And Richard Jefferson appeared together on Hot Ones special episode of Truth or Dab in June 2023.
Basketball legends Jefferson and Smith joined the show host Sean Evans as they answered some questions while eating wings doused in a spicy sauce called The Last Dab.
Smith is asked about his time playing in the Chinese Basketball Association and whether he attended practice.
He reveals that he did attend practice for the first two weeks, but then they told him he did not have to come anymore because of his impressive scoring.
Meanwhile, Evans asked Jefferson asked about which NBA franchise front office executive is most out of their depth. He responds by saying the New Jersey Nets and Rod Thorne, who traded him and then saw the team decline.
In the last round, the guests shared their good and bad qualities as teammates. Jefferson compliments Smith for always being truthful as his strong point.
However, he points out that JR has difficulty taking him seriously, which is a weakness. Smith agrees and says that Richard’s best quality is also his honesty.