He grins like a Cheshire cat, the fictional character from the classic, Alice in Wonderland, losing his poker face in almost a single motion.
"I'm just a smalltown Alabama boy," Kareem Johnson says, before revealing he was born in Queens, New York, but lived in Eufaula, Alabama, from the age of 7.
Having said that, the 31-year-old, who considers himself a power forward/centre, reveals there's nothing small about him or his family when you start scrutinising the X and Y chromosomes.
His father, the late Daniel George, and his mother, Randee George, who still lives in Alabama, are tall timber.
"My father played basketball up to college level and my great-grandfather from my mother's side was six foot eight so we were kind of good that way," Johnson says, after a quick videotape session with coach Paul Henare before the HBS Bank Hawks tip off tomorrow at 3pm in Napier in a repeat of last year's final when the Wellington Saints claimed the bragging rights to their second Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) title.
Johnson ironically was in the Saints' colours but crossed the floor to roost with the Hawks, a franchise he had served with from 2006-2008, helping the then Shawn Dennis-coached side to lift the silverware for their only NBL title before plying his trade in Switzerland.
In fact, New Zealand is a basketballing heaven for the American import who is seeking residency here.
For someone who had a go at playing "tight end" (offensive player) in American Football as a youngster, he didn't find traction with hoop heaven until he was 13 or 14 years old.
"It was too hot [to play grid iron] because all the workout was in summer although we played into fall [autumn]."
The former student at Chipola Junior College in Maryland, Florida, attended the University of Cincinnati before turning his gaze at the horizon for a professional career.
While at university, he was part of the basketball team that made two NCAA championships, the country's top college tournament, although they didn't win any titles.
He didn't make the NBA draft either but isn't disappointed, after his coach told him during the recruitment process he had a good chance of playing abroad.
"Kosovo is not a good place for a freshman starting out of college," he says, describing the war-torn country in the south-east of Europe as "Third World".
Three months later the 24-year-old got a fast break so he took the ball and ran across the court, as it were, to New Zealand.
"They speak English here, it's a good place, has great people and good basketball," says Johnson, who is settled here with Bay-born wife Lucia and their two daughters, Swiss-born Ruby, 3, and Bay-born 10-month-old Sophia. He has a son, Jeremiah, 7, living in St Louis, in the States. Returning to Hawke's Bay is a lifestyle choice.
Named after retired NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson won an NBL title with the Auckland Stars (2005) on his arrival and followed it up with another with the Hawks the following year.
When told "Jabbar" in Arabic means "mighty or "consoler" and asked if his mother knew that when she named him after the NBA icon, Johnson says: "No, I didn't. I suppose mum just got lucky there."
An "ultimate team player", Johnson likes to be the hardest-working player in any team and, no doubt, loves dunking.
He is looking forward to playing against his old team tomorrow.
"Tell the people to come and enjoy themselves because it'll be an awesome game."
Henare says Johnson is finally finishing off around the hoop with better field goal percentage.
"He's also worked on his mid-range jump shots."
Players tend to enjoy coming up against their old teams and Johnson was no exception.
Bar returning Saint Ernest Scott, the Hawks are familiar with the champs who include ex-Hawks Arthur Trousdell, Damien Ekenasio and Jeremy Kench.