To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the basketball's invention by Dr. James Naismith in 1891, Spalding made 125 special basketballs and sent them to some of their endorsers and to people influenced by the game.

One of the recipients is Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan who is quickly becoming one of the best players in the league today. He got two of the specially made black basketballs and will keep one while having the opportunity to give the other one as a gift.

Growing up in Compton, California and rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers during his early years, it made his decision easier to make on who to give the ball to. DeRozan decided to give his idol, Kobe Bryant, a gift that will show how much he influenced his game and that he is definitely someone who had a huge impact to the sport.

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When The Black Mamba received the present, he thanked the 27-year-old USC product and acknowledged his mid-range game which he excelled at during his playing days.

DeRozan is playing the best basketball of his career this season with averages of 27.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Most importantly, he has been leading the Raptors to another strong start this campaign with a 20-8 record and are currently ranked second in the Eastern Conference standings.