Ex NBA sharpshooter Andre Miller reveals how binge-eating chocolates led to ER trip: “They put me to sleep”

For years, Andre Miller gave perimeter defenders a headache with his prolific scoring skills. Not too many fans know, however, that Miller once ran into a foe that kept him from going off on the hardcourt and even sent him to the hospital.

The 17-year NBA pro told this one-of-a-kind story in an episode of “All the Smoke.” This anecdote took place during the 2010-11 season, when Miller was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Me and my woman, we go the day before the game, it was a chocolate convention. And you know, convention centers are huge, so it was just unlimited chocolate,” Miller recalled. “The game starts, man, the first trip up and down the court, I literally ran off the court and I had to go to the emergency room. They put me to sleep, man.”

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Miller went on to reveal that he had contracted food poisoning from the excessive amounts of chocolates that he'd ingested. Notably, the game that he missed in January 2011 because of this incident was the only Portland matchup that he didn't suit up for in his two-season stint with the Trail Blazers.

Ironically, Miller was known for his durability as much as his ability to get buckets during his playing days. In 14 out of his 17 seasons in the NBA, the 6-foot-3 guard out of Utah played at least 80 games. For his career, Miller averaged 12.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists.

Miller was one of the most respected scoring guards in the league during his time, but one fateful night, the unexpected adversary known as chocolate stopped him in his tracks.

"That's how I made friends around different citites": Andre Miller reveals pre-game ritual during his NBA career

In the same appearance on "All the Smoke," Miller revealed that he was fond of riding his roller skates prior to NBA games.

"Instead of going out to a club...I take my skates with me on the road," he said. "That's how I made friends around different cities, through the skating rink. Now, I'm state to state."

Miller went on to celebrate the fact that he has "skating friends" all around the country, even after he has hung up his sneakers for good.

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About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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