Q+a [jamie Foxx]

The 36-year-old actor, who has been in Ali and Any Given Sunday, hosts the ESPY Awards, which air on July 18.

SI: ESPN certainly can't afford your movie salary. So what are they doing to make this worth your while?

Foxx: To me, as I get older, it's about cool-ass moments. So I get a chance to kick it with LeBron, Carmelo and Randy Johnson. It's a chance to rub elbows with those folks.

SI: What athletes will you be making fun of?

Foxx: Well, you'll have to tune in and see. But there may be a decent Kobe joke in there. Maybe.

SI: How do you get away with making fun of Mike Tyson during your stand-up act?

Foxx: Well, Mike Tyson is a friend, and he knows it doesn't come from viciousness. He's always been cool because he watched me grow up doing him. When I was 21 and 22, he used to see me in a tiny club in LA and he would always say, "There he is. There's that guy." And he would make me do him.

SI: Shaq has played in your backyard court, the Foxx Hole. What were those games like?

Foxx: We set up rules where he couldn't come in past the three-point line. He had to stay outside and was actually shooting jumpers.

SI: Who is the best athlete you've competed against?