Up Close with Glen "Big Baby" Davis

Before Glen Davis was banging boards for the Boston Celtics, he was hustling down the football field. Big Baby played football at the running back position for three years in high school and has transferred some of his skills from the field to the parquet. HOOPSWORLD caught up with Glen Davis this weekend before his match up against the Miami Heat to talk about football, Shaq, and what it's like being Big Baby in Boston.

You're a big guy but you're so light on your feet. How did football help you with your coordination and athleticism in basketball?

"In football you have to have quick feet. You have to have quick feet and a high tolerance for pain, and that kind of helped me. Basketball's not that physical of a sport, but it is physical and so when I get hit it's not so foreign to me. It's not like, 'Wow, I've never felt this before.' I understand what pain feels like so football did have its advantages. It did help me with an attack method because in football you have to attack first. I kind of let that relate football to basketball."

With that high tolerance of pain, what's the biggest bang you've taken in the NBA so far?

"I don't know, I really haven't got a bang yet. I might get my first one tonight guarding Shaquille."

What do you think about playing against Shaq, another former LSU Tiger?

"He's a great player, one of the greatest 50. To play against him, it's a challenge. I'm trying to get ready and I'm willing to take the challenge."

How did you prepare for this game any differently than others?

"Seeing what he does, things that I can stop him with, things that I can do to not let him get a dunk or not get close to the rim."

You're just a few games into the season and already Celtics fans have really been drawn to you. What is it like being so well received in such a short period of time?

"It's good. I'm thankful that they've had open arms. I just try to play hard every game and try to do what I can do to make sure our team wins. Whatever I have to do, I'm willing to do."

What is your favorite NBA memory so far?

(Whistles) "Opening Night." (Laughs)

What was most memorable about that?

"The fans, the crowd, the game, my first game, just seeing so many people. It was a blast."

How hard is it to walk down the streets of Boston now and go unrecognized without people yelling out 'Big Baby'?

"It's not that bad yet, but you get a couple. I went to the store today to try to buy a Coke and I couldn't get out of there without somebody asking me for an autograph. But it's not that bad."

I guess that's something you could get used to?

"You're only young once, you know? You only live this once. You can't go back and live it again. You've got to embrace it to a certain extent and keep moving on having fun."

Glen Davis never got his chance to play against Shaq. He sat out of the close match up but has appeared in seven out of the Celtics first nine games. Big Baby's best performance so far came against the New Jersey Nets when he posted six points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes. The rookie has moved ahead of second-year power forward Leon Powe in the Celtics rotation.