For the past five games, Tarik Black has been the Lakers’ man in the middle as their starting center. Lakers.com’s Joey Ramirez sat down with Black at practice on Wednesday to find out who he is off the court.
Q: What is it that you remember most about growing up in Memphis?
Black: The people. My family was there and my friends were there. It was just great growing up in the city. The city has pride for itself. A lot of the people from Memphis, we have a lot of self-pride. We appreciate our city, and that’s one of the big things about me. No matter where I go and no matter what I do, I represent my city.
Q: What is it that most people don’t know about you?
Black: My mom put it on there in that (Time Warner SportsNet) TV interview, but I’m really goofy. I’m not necessarily childishly immature, but I’m childish as in I’m the youngest and I just have a really goofy, funny, cartoon-y side. I know I don’t really have that perception when I’m out there on the court with the style of basketball that I play. But that’s the only area that people see me in. They can’t see me behind closed doors and when I’m off the court. They don’t see me often, so a lot of people don’t know I have a really goofy side to me.
Q: You mom also said that you’re really into cartoons. Which one is your favorite?
Black: So many. I get asked that question all the time, but I watch a lot of cartoons. I really can’t name a favorite because I go through genres. “Tom and Jerry,” old school; I like Japanese anime, like “Naruto,” things like that; to just the plain classics: “Fairly OddParents,” all that stuff. I watch a lot of cartoons.
Q: Do you have a favorite character?
Black: I really don’t have one, but growing up “Toy Story” used to be my favorite movie. It probably still is, because that’s the movie that I watch the most. Growing up I used to love Buzz Lightyear. So if I had to choose somebody, I gotta go with the classics and who I grew up with.
Q: It seems like “Space Jam” would be in your wheelhouse, as a basketball player that loves cartoons, right?
Black: “Space Jam” is awesome. I don’t have it at my house right now, but I know “Space Jam” from beginning to end. That’s one of those movies — those classics — that I feel that every kid watched over and over and over again. So it’s definitely one of the top classics of all-time; as far as cartoon movies, definitely.
Q: What kind of food do you like to eat?
Black: My favorite meal to eat is actually Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey and dressing with cranberry sauce is awesome. Love that, but just soul food, man. Coming from Memphis, Southern cooking is what we do. We throw down. So growing up in a city like that where everybody can cook, you eat really good soul food.
Q: What do you typically eat before games?
Black: Usually I eat what’s here (at the Lakers practice facility). Usually after shootaround I eat, and I don’t eat again until we get to (STAPLES Center) and we get a little sandwich. There’s a little station where you can make up a sandwich. You have your meat assortment, you have your bread and amenities that go on the sandwich. That’s all I eat before the game.
Q: Do you have a pregame ritual?
Black: The only thing I make sure I do before a game that’s habitual is praying. I say
a prayer before the game, but other than that I don’t have any rituals.
Carlos Boozer crashes the interview to give his thoughts.
Q: So do you try to lock in and focus before games or get hyped up? Or is it somewhere in between?
Boozer: He gets hyped, you know what I’m saying? He’s bumpin’ his country music.
Black: I’m a really hyper guy regardless, as you can tell by the way I play. So I try to tone it down before a game. I have to calm down and stay at ease. Gotta stay at peace, that’s my thing.
Q: How has it been being teammates with Carlos?
Black: That’s a legend right there. I grew up watching him. It’s crazy to be even on the same team and for him to even know my name. I’ve been sitting back since high school — and really even since middle school — watching that man with the Utah Jazz go to the Western Conference Finals, making big runs. So trust me, I look up to him a lot.
Q: Growing up, which player did you look up to the most?
Black: Amar’e Stoudemire, by far. He was a beast. If he had never gotten hurt, it would be hard not to consider him one of the greatest power forwards ever. He was in that lane getting to that point. But injuries unfortunately happened.
Q: Did you talk to him at all when he visited STAPLES Center with the Dallas Mavericks on March 8?
Black: No, I didn’t. We don’t know each other like that. We just played against each other. But I am quite fond of him, and I have a lot of respect for him.