Q+a Martin Lawrence

SI: In the film you play a coach who gets banned from college ball and has to take a job at a junior high. Martin Lawrence coaching kids. Should parents be scared?

Lawrence : They shouldn't be scared at all. The kids wind up teaching me something, and I wind up teaching them the game of basketball. There's nothing to be afraid of.

SI: You spent part of your childhood in Landover, Md. What was it like going to Bullets games?

Lawrence : I remember the free basketballs they gave out and how Wes Unseld handled his business in the middle.

SI: What team are you rolling with now?

Lawrence : I'm an honorary Piston. I'm good friends with [G.M.] Joe Dumars . He even sent me a ring from last season, so I have the actual championship ring.

SI: Do you have a favorite basketball film?

Lawrence : No. I like the real stuff. I tune into NBA TV a lot to watch the old games. I haven't seen a basketball movie done yet that shows it the way I like basketball.

SI: When asked a couple of years ago which three people he wanted to have dinner with, Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich answered Muhammad Ali , Michael Jackson and Martin Lawrence . What would that meal be like?

Lawrence : Very quiet on my part because I wouldn't know what to say to those guys. I have a great deal of respect for both of them, so I'd be very quiet.