INSIDE HEAD OF KNICKS’ 6TH MAN

Knicks sixth man Michael Beasley takes a shot at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: Your young children are googling your name. A: It’s nothing for them to google e my name and read something that they’re not supposed to be reading, or something that I’m not proud of. I’m not who people think I am. Q: In what way? A: In every way. Q: Who do you think people think you are? A: I know what people think I am. m. People think I’m dumb. People think I party all the time. People think I’m ignorant ... obnoxious. Q: You think people today think that about you? A: Might be a little less than the past, but ... Q: Why do you think people thought that way? A: Because I’m flamboyant in who I am. I love who I am, and I’m boisterous about it. Q: Have you always loved who you are? A: Always. I’ve never wanted to be anybody else and I never thought anybody else could be me more than me. Q: Describe your on-court mentality. A: Chill ... composed ... never up, never down ... always in killer mode ... smart overall. Q: What does killer mode on the court mean? A: Ready to kill. Like a sniper’s always ready to take a shot. Always ready to take the shot, a shot ... both sides of the floor. You gotta kind of have that hit man mentality when it comes to this game. Q: What drives you? A: Life. My kids are taken care of. I don’t need for anything but food. My dogs are happy. The love for the game ... tomorrow being better. I love the fact that tomorrow never comes. You can never wake up and say, “It’s tomorrow.” It’s always today. Q: What do you hope Knicks fans say about you on the court? A: WB. Q: WB? A: Walking bucket. Q: Is that how you see yourself ? A: I don’t think there’s a man on the earth that can stop me from scoring a basketball. I take that back ... I know there’s not a man on earth that can stop me from scoring a basketball. As cocky as that sounds ... so what? Q: Of all the things that have happened to you in your life, what would you say was the loneliest, rock-bottom moment emotionally? A: I’m not sure. ... I’ve had a lot. Q: What enabled you to bounce back? A: Tomorrow never coming. Q: What drives you as a basketball player? A: Being greatgreat. I still think I could be one of the best ever. Just need someone to believe in me. Give me an opportunity. Q: Who is one NBA player you would love to test your skills against? A: Dennis Rodman. Q: Why him? A: He just gave it up every night. He sacrificed his body. I mean, to average 15-plus rebounds for as long as he did? Dennis Rodman was what, 6-8, 6-9? He was a bad one. Q: What did you think of him in a wedding gown? A: To each his own. I wear nail polish. Who am I to judge? Q: Favorite tattoo? A: Favorite tattoo is my second one [right arm]. My cousin died May 21, 2005, with cancer. Long battle. Q: What does that tattoo say? A: His name, Stevon. Q: Was that devastating to you at that time? A: Yeah, but growing up the way we grew up, death was kind of a common thing, so at that point we were numb to it. Q: What do you mean death was a common thing? A: A lot of people died, man. My uncle died on my first birthday. A lot of my friends died. Q: How did that affect you as a kid? A: I tell people all the time, like when you’re a kid, whatever you’re going through as a kid, you don’t know it’s abnormal until you, I guess, grow up and meet other people that didn’t go through it. I didn’t know I was poor until I got rich. My mom always made sure we had the necessities — food, clothes, a roof over our head — growing up. You’re just not really concerned about a mansion and a Benz. Just living life, and whatever your mom puts in front of you, whatever your parents put in front of you, that’s what it is. And that’s what it was my whole life, on everything. I seen things from a very young age, so it just became normal by the time I got cognizant of my surroundings. QQ: HHow many ttattoostt ddo you have? A: I don’t know. I stopped counting in 2010 (laugh). Q: How would you sum up your NBA career? A: A roller coaster. To say the least. Definitely a roller coaster ... but who don’t like roller coaster rides (laugh)? Q: Did you feel pressure as the second player drafted in 2008, by the Heat? A: I didn’t feel pressure until my fourth year in the NBA. Q: Why the fourth year? A: I just wanted to win so bad. I got injured early. A lot of things just didn’t go my way. Q: You went to seven high schools? Why did you bounce around so much? A: A couple of different reasons. Basketball mainly. I got kicked out of one or two. Q: Describe the first time you saw the Garden. A: I played here in college [in 2007 with Kansas State]. We lost to Notre Dame. I only had 15 points. Q: Describe Frank Martin, who was your coach at Kansas State. A: I love Frank. Always been honest. Always pushed me to be a better person, not just a better basketball player. Always been resourceful. Always there when you need him. Q: Pat Riley, who was the Heat executive who drafted you. A: I don’t love him as much as Frank (laugh). But Pat is like one of my idols right now. ... He’s just got it all figured out. Q: Boyhood idol? A: I’ve always admired Vince CarterCarter. There wasn’t nothing he couldn’t do — from long range, to mid-range to the post, fast break. ... He literally could have played 1 through 4. QQ: FFavoriteit PGPG JJaguars memory. A: OK, one day, me and Kevin (Durant) started fighting. We weren’t that serious. And instead of breaking it up, our coach, Stink, jumped in. So we started jumping him (laugh). He rolled over and threw me off the bed, I bounced and went right out the window. Broke the window, yeah (laugh). I still got the scars from it. Q: Who are athletes in other sports you admire? A: Roger Federer, Serena [Williams], [Rory] McIlroy, Tiger [Woods], [Alex] Ovechkin, NaVorro Bowman. ... I grew

up Cowboys with him. roster. The I’m whole a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. Oh, [mixed martial artist] Rose Namajunas. I love her. Her demeanor, like her grace, her character after she won. She stuck to her game plan, didn’t say anything extra, kept her composure, and controlled the whole [UFC] fight. Q: Do you play golf ? A: [I shoot in the] mid-70s, on a good day. On an off day, they’re rare, but they’re ugly. I barely use my driver. I can go out there with my 4[-iron], 5, my 6 and my putter. Q: Other hobbies? A: I play pool, play dominoes, I play cards. I like to say I read, but I listen to more audio books than actual reading. Q: Superstitions? A: I split poles on purpose. I just do it because everybody else says, “Hey man, don’t split the pole ...” Shut up (laugh). Q: What are your favorite New York City things? A: Street meat (laugh). I don’t eat ’em anymore, but once in a while. I love a good chicken over rice, hot dog with mustard, onion. Q: You’re taking about the vendors? A: Yeah. All day long. All day long. Q: Are you recognized? A: Sometimes. You know, I get this more than anything: “Hey man, you look like Michael. ... He ain’t that tall, never mind.” My thing is like, OK, if you know who I am, then I’ll take your pictures, I’ll sign your autograph. If you don’t know, it’s not my job to tell people. My theory is, if you don’t know who I am, then I’m clearly not doing my job right. Q: How do you feel about playing on the New York stage? A: At the end of the day, you play basketball. You miss a shot, you make a shot, you win the game, you lose the game, so what? There’s bigger things going on in the world. Q: What’s going on in this world these days? A: A lotta bad things. ... We need God. People need to show more empathy. People need to treat other people better. Nowadays, we treat people according to their class. That’s not right. We’re all human. No matter if I make a million dollars or I make two pennies, like I’m the same person I am. I like to talk to everybody. I like to have conversations with everybody, the smartest person, the dumbest person. I ask this question: Einstein’s a genius ... He can tell you who every math problem or quantification is, whatever: Does he know everything there is to know about a goat? Does he know everything there is to know about an orca? The ocean? A genius to me is perspective. a genius in one Like, field, you but could that be doesn’t don’t know make as me much dumb math ’cause as him. I The say we’re world lost, right but now I’m ... in I it, would so ... Q: back? How do we find our way A: another Empathy, ... help man, one care another. for one Q: NBA What moment? is your best single A: I haven’t had one yet. Q: Who is Michael Beasley? A: Nobody. Nobody at all. But a father, a son, a brother ... I would say friends but I don’t got a lot of those. ... I’m just me, man. Q: You’ve learned not to trust. Is that why you don’t have many friends? A: No. ... I mean, I have learned not to trust, but my whole life I’ve always done for other people. And it’s just time I start doing for myself. I think we have to get comfortable being alone. Q: Did you make a New Year’s resolution? A: I think if you’re living right, you shouldn’t have a resolution. People who have resolutions are doing something that they don’t want to be doing, whether it’s gaining weight or ... going to the strip club every night, I don’t know. I don’t do anything that I’m ashamed of. I don’t live any malicious way. My New Year’s resolution was just be me. Q: Two dinner guests? A: I would need a monk there. Q: Why is that? A: ’Cause I think I could make a monk laugh (laugh). ... Nikola Tesla. Steal some ideas from him. Q: Favorite actor? A: Will Smith. Q: Favorite actress? A: Scarlett Johansson. Q: Favorite singer? A: My favorite singer of all time, Lauryn Hill. My favorite rapper of all time, Jay-Z. Favorite rapper right now, Young Thug. Q: Favorite meal? A: An old family recipe — macaroni and cheese, with baked beans and hot dogs, in one bowl, mixed up. Awesome. Q: What would the Michael Beasley sitting here now tell the young Michael Beasley? A: I wouldn’t tell him nothing, honestly. Let him live his life (laugh). It got me here. I tell people all the time, like, just because somebody looks older doesn’t mean they’re supposed to act older. Everybody learns life at their own pace. Everybody has things in their past that they wish they hadn’t done or they wish nobody knew about. My life has been documented since I was 13, 14 years old. Q: Regrets? A: None.