NBA All-Star Weekend is always a fun weekend filled with parties, basketball and lots of celebrity sightings, but with All-Star in Los Angeles this weekend, all of that is taken to another level.
L.A. is home to the stars, so they don’t even have to leave their backyard to get to All-Star this year, which means you can almost guarantee courtside on Saturday and Sunday night will be filled with A-listers looking to be up close and personal with the action. Kevin Hart has long been a staple of All-Star Weekend, and this year is no different. As a former multiple time MVP of the Celebrity Game, Hart has put his skills on display before and there are few that mix it up courtside with players as much as the comedian and movie star.
We sat down with Kevin Hart in Los Angeles over the weekend as he kicked off his new #CourtSidekick contest with Mountain Dew Kickstart to discuss his basketball skill set, a dream starting five around him, his favorite players to get into it with while courtside, the time he heckled James Harden and it backfired on his beloved Sixers and why Joel Embiid can be a mega-star in the NBA.
You’re multiple times-
Yes, sir.
Celebrity game, MVP.
Yes, sir.
What NBA player would you compare your game to?
Wow. I don’t think you can just take one player man, because the talent that you’re looking at within the talent of myself is an amazing talent. So, if you could combine … Oh, God. You gotta go with all the greats. You take a little bit of Michael Jordan, sprinkle some Kobe Bryant in there, a piece of LeBron James, the heart of Russell Westbrook, maybe the handles of Kyrie Irving. You may get close to what I am, but like I said, it takes a combination of almost eight guys-
That’s a lot
Which is tough you know? This is why it makes me even uncomfortable to talk about it, to talk about where I am as a talent within the game. But yeah, you’re looking at a high level of athletic ability.
With all that talent.
Yes?
If you were to fill out a five man roster with current NBA guys around yourself, so four more, who are your teammates that you’re picking?
Okay, then this is like myself included?
Yourself included. So, I’m assuming you’re point guard.
Okay. Well, I mean I can play every position.
You’re like prime Magic Johnson.
Yes. You can’t limit me to just one particular position. Well, okay. I would definitely go with LeBron James. I would definitely go with Kevin Durant. I would definitely go with … this is where it gets tricky, but you gotta throw James Harden in there right now.
He’s definitely in that conversation. Last but not least, just because of his ability, I mean I’d throw Russell Westbrook in there.
I know everybody else would try to go like Steph, and they would run that way. But I’d throw Russell Westbrook in there, because he just has no other care except at basketball when he’s on the court. Nothing else matters.
He’s just a killer.
It’s all about him and the basketball. Then, of course, you have me as an amazing leader and go-to guy.
Yeah. You got your role players around you-
Yes. You got your role players, and they’re gonna do their jobs. Or when you the game’s on the line, just give me the ball.
If you could pick anybody, any celebrity, NBA player, whatever, to go one on one against, what’s your dream one on one game?
My dream one on one game? My shadow. If I could play against my shadow. That’s the only person that can defend me.
The Kevin Hart hologram.
Yes. If there was a way where they could bring my shadow to life, it would be the best one on one game ever. Any other game is not a game. It’s not fun. It wouldn’t be fun for me, you know? Playing against whoever. You put a LeBron out there, it’s not a good time. It’s something I’m running through. Then the game’s over, and everybody’s like “Oh my God, we thought it was going to be such a good game,” but it wasn’t.
Right. And now LeBron’s feeling bad about himself.
Yes, now he’s upset, now his season isn’t going to be the same, blah blah blah.
Can’t have that.
Yeah, it’s tough.
How many NBA games do you get to on an average year, or try to get to?
You know what I try to get to a lot, man. I mean living in Los Angeles definitely helps because you know my schedule of being on the road. When I’m coming back those games that fall on those Tuesdays or Thursdays are games that me and my wife try to make or I take the kids. Try to make it a family thing. You know at one point in time the Lakers tickets were the hot tickets. Then it shifted and the Clippers tickets were the hot tickets, and now it’s like shifting back to the Lakers tickets, but they’re both not that good so much you know? It’s just pretty much who are they playing. So it’s a good time now. It’s a good time to go to games right now.
Do you get on your Spike Lee when you’re courtside and chirp with the players a little bit?
Of course. 100 percent, 100 percent. I’m the most … I think I may be in the top two best people to sit courtside of a basketball game, because I’m fun. I’m 100 percent involved in banter, with the back and forth with the guys. I mean I have relationships with all of them so. That high level of trash talk and going back and forth is always welcomed.
And, you know what I mean? Look it makes for a good time. I think that’s the beauty of being able to sit courtside and having some relationships. The best thing is to be able to say something and get a response you know? It’s fun.
Who are your favorite guys to kind of chirp with?
I go back and forth with KD a lot. Steph will go back for a little bit, but then Steph will just ultimately ignore me and tell me “Leave me alone Kevin, I’m working.” Harden will go back and forth with me. Bron ain’t going to give you too much. Bron’s too focused.
He just looks at you.
He comes over, you’ll get your “What’s up? What’s goin’ on?” But he not going back and forth, or he may throw a couple things at you from afar, but he’s too involved in the game.
[Chris Paul]. CP is two different people as well. CP got a little Westbrook in him. People don’t know that. Chris is crazy.
Yes.
Yeah, Chris is crazy … on the court. I’ve heard Chris say some things and I was like “That’s not the guy I know.”
That’s not the State Farm guy.
No, that’s not the father I know. That’s not him. Kyrie goes back and forth with me, but then Kyrie just gets annoyed. “Kevin shut up, just shut up man. Just stop talking to me.” Blake ignores me. I mean I can literally go down most of the league. Draymond. Draymond, we go back and forth. Me and Draymond have some good ones.
Do you have a favorite story of being courtside at a game? Do you have a favorite memory of a specific moment that stands out?
I’ll give you a good one. Houston Rockets were playing 76ers in Philadelphia. I’m filming a movie in Philly. I’m talking trash to James because we’re giving them work, like you know I’m like, “All this hype, all this hype around y’all. Y’all suppose to be X, Y, and Z. Look what’s going on right now. You’re getting worked in Philadelphia.”
He says “If you say something else, I promise you I will personally give them the business.” I was like, “I don’t do what you tell me to. I’ll say what I wanna say.”
James Harden went on the score 50 points. He put up 50 points. And when he was at the foul line, and he was like at 45 or something like that, he was like, “Kev, why don’t you tell your city why this is happening.” Like really just put the attention on me. “Why don’t you just tell them why this is happening. Tell them what you did.”
I’m like, “Don’t listen to him guys. You’re doing great out there guys, it’s really not my fault. Don’t worry about it guys, we’re really good out there. Everybody looks great.”
You’re doing the new CourtSidekick Competition with Mountain Dew Kickstart. What are you gonna be looking for from these fans? What do ya want to see out of somebody in this competition, to be able to sit courtside with you?
Well you know. First of all, sitting courtside with me I think is a big deal, okay? We just went down why, we just went down one of the reasons why, you know it’s fun, it’s entertaining. So what I’m looking for is that person that has that amazing courtside etiquette. You know that person that understands that sitting courtside should be fun, but, at the same time, not embarrassing. You gotta have a good time but you can’t be embarrassing.
Not sloppy.
Not sloppy. Not sloppy. There’s a lot of do’s and don’ts. There’s a lot of you know, there’s rules. So what I’m looking at, I’m looking at people that don’t blur those lines. Those people that really get it. They get it, they get me and that would ultimately make for the perfect courtside sidekick, you know? It’s a thing. It’s a real thing. It’s going to be bigger than awesome, I mean it becomes a moment.
And I’m walking out of here with probably a new best friend. A new court sidekick. Ha, see that right there? So how I did that right there. Looped it all in like that.
That’s why you are a professional.
Sometimes.
As a Philly guy, Joel Embiid’s a budding super star-
Yes he is.
On and off the court. As a Philly fan, I’m sure you are a fan of his game. As a comedian, what do you think of his comic timing, his Twitter jokes, his back and forth on social?
He has all the makings to be a major star in the NBA. When your game is amazing and your personality is at that same level, you put yourself in that position to become a brand, to become a marketing tool, to become what those players of the old were. When you look at Michael Jordan, when you look at Charles Barkley and you look at the days where Larry Johnson was Grandmama. You look at Bo Jackson and the Bo Knows Campaign. When you go look at all those things you are looking at athletes who personalities shine as bright as their game.
And in today’s league we do have some of those but we don’t have a lot like we did back in the day. I think Joel is a person who has an opportunity to be that guy. He’s fun, he goes back and forth with the players, he’s doing what you wouldn’t expect him to do and at the same time entertaining the crowd. That’s a big bonus. That’s the reason why people pay to come see these games. We have players that get that, that understand that. It’s all a bonus. All a major bonus.
