Mike Tyson is clearly as strange as he seems.

Tennessee women's basketball star Candace Parker is taller than you imagine and Nia Long is even more attractive in person than she is in those silly "Big Momma's House" movies.

And most of all, the life of a superstar is pretty cool and it is everything it is cracked up to be ... and much more.

Those are just some of the observations that Pitt senior receiver Derek Kinder made these past few days in Los Angeles, where he was for the taping of ESPN's annual ESPY Awards.

Kinder and former Panthers defensive back Darrelle Revis were nominated for the "best play" in sports last year for their part in Revis' 73-yard punt return for a touchdown against West Virginia in the 11th game. Revis made the return, but Kinder threw a block that opened a hole for Revis -- a devastating hit that leveled two Mountaineers players.

Kinder and Revis didn't win the ESPY -- the award went to Boise State for the "Statue of Liberty" play that scored the winning 2-point conversion against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl -- but that didn't put a damper on a trip that was exciting and eye-opening for Kinder.

"That was just a little taste of that Hollywood and professional athlete lifestyle," said Kinder, who is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list. "Just getting that taste, I can tell you it was everything it was cracked up to be. That was so much fun, just being out there, being around all of those stars and celebrities -- it really was a great experience.

"It is a motivation for me because that's where I want to be next year -- an NFL player, but I have a lot of hard work ahead of me."

Kinder had plenty of thrills, such as meeting LeBron James, who was co-host of the show along with Jimmy Kimmel, and being invited to the after parties where he met plenty of superstar athletes, such as Peyton Manning, Kevin Durant, Greg Oden and Devin Hester. He also saw numerous celebrities, including Long, rapper Lil'Kim, model Vida Guerra and actress Gabrielle Union.

He met and got his picture taken with Tyson at one of the parties and offered this observation of Iron Mike -- "That is a strange dude. I mean, when he talks to you he's looking at you but you can tell that he's thinking about a bunch of other stuff inside his head."

All of that was exciting for Kinder, but the most valuable time he spent was when he hung out for most of Wednesday with former Southern California receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who was a second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers.

Jarrett, who is from New Jersey, could have been a teammate of Kinder's because Pitt was one of his finalists during the recruiting process, which ultimately led him to the Trojans.

"He gave me a lot of helpful advice, and talked to me a lot about getting to the next level as a player," said Kinder, who is from Albion, N.Y. "It was really helpful stuff and we had some good talks about playing receiver as well as a lot of things. That was really cool for me."

Kinder said the two talked about what could have been had Jarrett chosen Pitt, but then he thought for a moment and decided it may have worked out for the better for both players in the long run.

"He told me he was on his visit the weekend of that Miami game in 2003 [Pitt lost, 28-14] and said that was the reason he chose USC," said Kinder laughing. "It wasn't because Pitt lost, though, it was because it was freezing cold. He said he had to wear a pair of Timberlands with insulated socks and three shirts just to keep warm.

"Thinking back, though, if he comes here maybe I am sitting on the bench behind him so it worked out well."

The fact that Kinder, who threw out the first pitch at a Pirates game against the Nationals on June 30, has turned into a budding star for the Panthers is fairly amazing considering he was recruited to play running back and only moved to receiver out of necessity.

After a solid freshman season, he emerged as a legitimate second receiver in his sophomore season and last year surged onto the national scene after he caught 57 passes for 847 yards and six touchdowns and was named first-team All-Big East.

This season, he will be working with a first-year starter at quarterback but expects to have an even better year, even if it isn't reflected in his statistics.

"What's funny is there is no way I would have thought any of this would happen," Kinder said. "I was a horrible receiver my freshman year. I didn't deserve to be on the field but I worked hard and good things have happened because of it.

"I know that my aspirations are to play in the NFL and the coaches know that as well, so I'm not worried about how a new quarterback will affect what I do. I'm worried about winning games, that's my focus. The other stuff follows winning, but we need to get back to a bowl game. It has been way too long."

The other people nominated for the best play award were the Heat's Dwyane Wade for a shot in a win against the Indiana Pacers, Mets outfielder Endy Chavez for catch in the NLCS and Travis Pastrana's Moto X double back flip.

The Panthers open training camp Aug. 7 and their first game is Sept. 1 against Eastern Michigan at Heinz Field.