Off the Court: Trey Johnson

New Orleans free-agent signing Trey Johnson, now in his third overall season in the NBA, sat down with Hornets.com recently to discuss some of his interests away from the game of basketball.

Best moment as an athlete: “Probably right now. Everything that I’ve been through as far as trying to get solidified at this level, to walk into this situation and be this close to home, and for my family to be able to share in the moment… this is great.”

How he chose his uniform number: “Good question. My first cousin, who was my best friend too, died in 2005 in a car accident. He played high school basketball and baseball, and his basketball number was 12. He had just won a state championship in high school basketball. That was the number he wore. His name was Michael Johnson.”

One thing fans might be surprised to know: “I didn’t actually grow up a basketball player. I grew up a baseball player. That was my first love. I was drafted out of high school, in the 30th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 2002 draft, after my senior year. I just shifted over to basketball in my junior year of high school. My love of basketball just kind of outgrew baseball.”

Favorite thing about New Orleans: “The food. It’s gotta be the food.” [smiles]

Pregame ritual: “I always pray during the national anthem.”

First job: “I was on the grounds crew for an independent-league baseball team. I was in 10th grade.”

Favorite athletes as a kid: “Scottie Pippen, Deion Sanders.”

What he’d be doing if he weren’t an NBA player: “Major League Baseball player.”

Closest friend playing on another NBA team: “Mo Williams (of the Los Angeles Clippers) is probably my best friend who plays in professional sports. We went to the same high school.”

Favorite type of music: “Hip-hop, but I also listen to R&B and gospel, pop.”

Favorite TV show: “Martin.”

Favorite movie of all time: “There are so many of them, I can’t pick just one.”

Favorite websites: “Livemixtapes.com, hoopshype.com.”

What he enjoys about Twitter: “Being able to interact with fans and people who support you who you don’t necessarily know. It’s a platform to interact and network with different people.”

What he enjoys about Facebook: “My Facebook page is very intimate. I don’t accept people I don’t know. It’s just people I know, or people I went to school with. If I don’t know you, I’m not going to accept (a friend request).”