Abstaining from sex is one of the sacrifices that boxers are known to make while training for a big fight, especially in the few days leading up to the bout.

Well, the same unwritten rule allegedly doesn't apply to basketball players. While appearing as a guest co-host on The Real this week, Monica said a secret weapon to get her husband to perform on the court — during his days in the NBA — was to have a lot of wild sex with him.

"Right before my daughter was conceived ... his career high was in Phoenix and he was jumping really high and we were going all the time," the R&B singer said about the connection between their sex sessions and his improved hoop game. "That was in the earlier stages of marriage."

Sure enough, the couple wed in November 2010 and Shannon went on to average a career-high 11 points per game for the Phoenix Suns during the 2011-12 season.

Monica's honest answer was triggered by the daytime TV show's hosts asking for her opinion about a professional soccer coach who allegedly gave his players a midnight sex curfew, forbidding them from smushing sheets with their partners once the clock strikes 12 a.m.

Wow. Watch Monica break it down here.

Well, that takes love and basketball to another level, doesn't it?

According to TMZ Sports, Shannon, 30, is aiming for a return to the NBA, so maybe he and Monica should hang a do not disturb sign on their bedroom door and get busy to boost his chances.

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