Josh McDermitt isn’t saying he would’ve been an NBA Lottery pick; he’s not even saying he was a starter in high school, still, none of that erases the fact that on this one day when he was a teenager, The Walking Dead star beat former NBA star point guard Mike Bibby on the blacktops at a local park in Arizona.

“I know he won’t remember this at all, but I played Mike Bibby in a game of 21,” said McDermitt who plays Eugene on The Walking Dead. “I actually tipped him on a miss and he went back to zero and I ended up pounding it out and beating him barely. Beating Bibby would have to be my shining moment!”

Certainly a safe bet.

I caught up with McDermitt to chop-it-up about everything from how his character Eugene plans to shine on the upcoming season of The Walking Dead to how he’d fare in a real life zombie apocalypse to why he’s the King of Cornhole.

Jason Jordan: I always like to gauge the sports backgrounds and experiences of all of my guests on the Celeb Chop-Up; I know you’re from Arizona; what sports did you try coming up?

Josh McDermitt: The interesting thing about sports in Arizona is that people are really good at sports that you can play in the winter. I remember not wanting to play football because we had to practice in the summer, but I ended up playing my senior year. I wrestled too and played basketball and a couple other sports. I was never good at anything… Except maybe table tennis.

JJ: Even players who weren’t great had “their” day. What was your shining moment?

JM: I do actually have one, and I know he won’t remember this at all, but I played Mike Bibby in a game of 21. He’s from Phoenix. We were at the park and we definitely didn’t know each other, but he was a big time player in high school and I knew who he was. We played 21 with tips, which meant if you got a put-back layup you’d send the other player back to zero. Well, I actually tipped him on a miss and he went back to zero and I ended up pounding it out and beating him barely. Beating Bibby would have to be my shining moment!

JJ: Nicely done. Do you find yourself out at dinner thinking about what you’d grab in the event of an instant zombie apocalypse?

JM: Oh all the time! I’m constantly looking at blunt force objects and figuring out if it’s something I can carry for a long period of time. It can’t just be a heavy object; that would only work in the short term, so I think about things like that. We talked about this on set one day, but the hammer that the character Tyrese had would be the best weapon for the apocalypse. It’s got a nice grip, it’s round on one side and has the hook on the other; that thing’s gonna do a lot of damage. I make sure I know where a hammer is at all times.

JJ: Your character Eugene is really intelligent; how similar are you to him?

JM: (Laughs) Dude, I’m like the dumbest guy in the world. I have to look up the words that Eugene uses all the time. I’m always like, “What?” I have a lot of street smarts that he doesn’t have, but we’re both cowards. I’m just a wuss! We definitely have that one in common.

JJ: So how would you fare in a zombie apocalypse?

JM: I feel like I would die pretty quick. I feel like I’d be all excited and ready to survive like, “Here we go,” and those would be my last words. I hope it would be saving someone, but, let’s be honest, I’d totally get them killed with me.

JJ: How often do you get zombie questions from fans when you’re out and about?

JM: All the time! If I’m in Los Angeles people just look at me and give me the nod, but if I’m in Atlanta, where we film, people will stop me and they’ll want to know everything about Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln and they want to know if they can be on my zombie apocalypse team. That’s kind of interesting because I think there’s a group of people that are gonna come find me if the apocalypse goes down. People are insane about the show! If I’m not careful I’ll get locked into a conversation for an hour and miss an appointment or something because I love the show as much as the fans.

JJ: OK let’s take this thing random in 3, 2, 1… What do yellow traffic lights mean to you?

JM: (Laughs) Slow down!

JJ: What fast food restaurant has the best fries?

JM: Ooh McDonald’s.

JJ: What random game are you the King of?

JM: Cornhole.

JJ: What was your worst pre-fame job?

JM: I worked for an industrial painter and it was the worst job because it was over the summer in the Arizona heat with a guy who was absolutely insane. He was always sniffing paint fumes. We’d ride around in rush hour traffic with the windows up, with the heat blasting and he’d be screaming the whole time. Worst job ever!

JJ: What’s the most overused slang word or phrase out right now?

JM: (Laughs) “On fleek!”

JJ: Here’s the scenario you’re parking your car and mistakenly tap the car in front of you; do you leave a note or move to a different row?

JM: I tap the car again and then I’d take off. My car is full of dings and no one’s ever left a note.

JJ: In the epic game of Paper, Rock, Scissors which object do you tend to get the most wins with?

JM: The rock.

JJ: How would you use a rewind button in life?

JM: I’d rewind it to watch when people say funny things or when they fall down in a funny way. I’d only use it for humor.

JJ: You’ve unfortunately found yourself in the Witness Protection Program, what’s your cover name going to be?

JM: (Laughs) Umm… Gary Lightfoot.

JJ: What sitcom intro song do you know every word to?

JM: I used to know all the words to Who’s the Boss.

JJ: This is something your Walking Dead character Eugene would answer quickly; what random fact can you just tell me right now?

JM: I actually know that the Johnny Cash song A Boy Named Sue was written by Shel Silverstein. I want to give a shoutout to my co-star Ross Marquand for telling me that!

JJ: Talk about your new independent film Life In Color.

JM: It’s an Indy movie that I did with an awesome director named Katherine Emmer; she wrote, directed and starred in it. It’s about a couple of really depressed people trying to find their way through life. They kind of use each other to help each other out. I play a depressed, out of work birthday clown and she plays the nanny and we end up moving in together to get back on our feet. It got into the SXSW Film Festival and was just in a festival in New York a couple of weeks ago so it seems to be making its rounds.

JJ: Awesome, and we’ve got The Walking Dead Season 6 kicking off on Oct. 11, talk about what fans can expect and the development of your character Eugene.

JM: Well, Season 6 is gonna be the biggest yet, and I know we kinda say that before each season, but there’s no exception here. I mean it’s massive! I don’t think we’ve had as many walkers as we have this season. In terms of Eugene, he ended last season saving Tara and Glenn and I hope he’ll continue along that trajectory; I guess we’ll have to tune in and find out.

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY