Born in Miami and raised in Kingston, Jamaica (birthplace of HOFer Patrick Ewing), rapper/reggae fusion singer Sean Kingston (born Kisean Jamal Anderson) loves to spend his downtime watching hoops. Although he wishes he could be courtside when the season gets underway, he’ll settle for televised games while on the road promoting his sophomore album, Tomorrow. When he does get to check out live action, no doubt he’ll be hearing his own tunes, because “Fire Burning” is already on many teams’ playlists.

What players do you enjoy watching the most?
My favorite is Dwyane Wade. He’s the best. He has good handle. I like the way he goes down on the court. A lot of shooting guards, they rush to the hole. He does it more smoothly like he knows how to handle the ball. He also has an amazing shot.

Courtside or box seats?
I like courtside. You can hear them talk trash and you can see all the details, like the coach screaming at the players.

Did you follow the NBA growing up in Jamaica?
My brother is a huge basketball fan, so even if I didn’t want to, I had to. I love the NBA. Basketball is an amazing sport. The fundamentals, the whole game itself is entertaining. A team could be down 35 in the fourth quarter and boom, boom, boom, before you know it, they’re up. It’s crazy.

What do you hope you’re showing about Jamaica through your music?
My heritage and just how much talent Jamaica has. Reggae music is cool. Bob Marley set it on a whole other level. I want to carry that on what Bob Marley was doing.

How loud did you scream during last year’s Olympics when fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt won the 100 meters?
Too loud. I was like, “Yo, this is crazy!” He’s making us proud. That’s a beautiful thing. I like making my country proud. It’s a beautiful country. That’s my job, to let the world know that.

In the video for “Face Drop” there’s an animated version of you. How much say did you have in the creation of Little Sean?
I had a lot of say. I told the director I wanted it to be graphical 3D, real life animation. I liked the way he made it come to reality. I said put him on real sidewalks, real cars, real life. It’s great.

What is it like to perform before a live audience of screaming fans?
It’s a beautiful situation to see the fans participate, put their hands in the air, singing your songs word for word. It’s amazing seeing them into the groove just enjoying the night.

Your thoughts on this NBA season?
I’m rocking with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shaq and LeBron, can’t beat that.

From the November/December, 2009 issue