Allergic Reaction to Avocado Nearly Causes Andre Drummond to Miss Game

Jeremy Brevard/USA Today Sports

Pistons center Andre Drummond nearly missed Detroit’s game against the Mavericks in Mexico City—not due to injury but because of an allergy to avocados. 

Head coach Dwane Casey revealed before the game that Drummond's status was up in the air because an allergic reaction to avocado had caused swelling around his eye.

Drummond had been dealing with the issue for at least 24 hours. He showed up at a media event the day before wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes. 

Drummond is well aware of his allergy to avocados but inadvertently consumed some during a trip to a restaurant in Mexico City. He blames the mixup on the server. 

"I went to a restaurant and asked for some ceviche and I know people put avocados in ceviche. I asked the lady four times and my friend knows Spanish and I had him ask her too," Drummond told The Detroit News. "She said there wasn't any avocado in there. I said, 'Are you sure?' before she brought out the food.

"The food comes out and my plate is green. I asked my friend: 'Ask her again if there's avocado in there because my plate is green.' I wasn’t trying to eat it if there's avocado in there. She said no.

"I started devouring it and I get to almost the bottom of the plate and I see a big strip of avocado in there. Three or four minutes later, my throat starts to close, everything starts to itch, and my eyes start watering."

Drummond said the reaction was the worst he's ever had. He recovered in time to play the game, though, and put up a double-double (a team-high 23 points and 15 rebounds).