NBA All-Star weekend is right around the corner, and what could possibly be even better than the best basketball players in the world going at it? Well, how about a bunch of high-profile celebrities? Yep, it's on. And it's all happening on Friday the 13th at 7pm ET at Madison Square Garden. With the full roster released by the NBA yesterday, the head-to-head rivalry you really can't miss will be between two entertainment superstars; Nick Cannon and Kevin Hart.
We had a few minutes for a QA with Cannon to find out what he's looking forward to, and of course, his game plan for stopping Hart's MVP streak.
Men's Fitness: What's it like being in another NBA All-Star Celebrity Game?
Nick Cannon: It’s a lot of fun. It’s something that I’ve been involved with since the late 90s, and something I’ve always looked forward to. Even when I was a kid, before I was officially in entertainment, I was a kid in the stands. I remember NBA used to do this thing with school jams and we use to have to do these things; you had to have a certain GPA, read a certain amount of books, or be a part of everything to get tickets to be on the actual court instead of in the stands. This is what I used to dream about when I was a kid. So, it’s kind of cool.
MF: So what’s going to be going through your mind before you hit the court on Friday?
NC: I’m going to be focused on scoring at least one of those baskets.
MF: Yes!
NC: That’s my goal... Just one.
MF: Alright... I’ll take that.
NC: Even if it’s a free throw.
MF: Are there any players on the other side you’re looking forward to squaring off against?
NC: Kevin. Probably just him more than anything. I mean, he only scored two more points than I did last year. So I don’t understand how he was the MVP.
MF: What’s going to be your approach with him on game day?
NC: Just to shut him down. Defense the whole time. I’m like a foot taller than him so I’ll be fine.
MF: Did you do any training or working out? You want to stay pretty sharp out there, so what’s your working out like?
NC: Obviously, I’m in shape-but it’s all for vanity-it’s not actual skill. I'm horrible. I tried to do this whole training thing last year to battle Kevin Hart, and I still went out there and only scored like two points. It’s really not all that "training"... as long as I do my typical work out regimen I’ll be fine.
MF: What is your typical workout regimen?
NC: I box. I probably put an hour and a half to two hours in everyday boxing. One-thousand push-ups a day is typical, then sometime in the afternoon I’ll just wind down in the boxing gym and spend some time in the ring throwing a couple of rounds.
MF: Now if you were in any of the skills competitions; three point or slam dunk, what would be your unique skill set?
NC: Probably slam-dunk. They used to do a celebrity slam dunk contest, and I think they stopped because I tried to jump over somebody–it wasn’t the wisest thing. Ha, yeah, they were like, ‘we probably shouldn’t let these celebrities try this.’
Don't miss any of the action and entertainment. Tune into ESPN at 7pm ET on Friday, February 13th.