Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan hasn't been secretive about how much Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant impacted his game. The footwork, the midrange game, and the poise during crunch time all reflect shades of the Black Mamba.
One of the most tangible influences the Lakers legend had on him was in his shoe game. DeMar DeRozan famously is one of the most visible Kobe Bryant sneaker aficionados in the NBA. The man wears them with pride.
But in his recent appearance on Serge Ibaka's talk show How Hungry Are You?, DeMar DeRozan revealed the pivotal moment in his shoe career wherein he decided never to diverge from rocking the Lakers star's signature sneaks ever again.
“The relationship we had, I always wore his shoes. I remember walking out and the first thing he did was looking at my feet. I was like, ‘Nah, I'm not wearing his shoes and playing against the Lakers tonight', so I wore Jordans.”
It wasn't too far-fetched of a move from DeRozan. You wouldn't want to let your opponent feel any sort of way by rocking their signature shoe line while playing them on the court. But given that it's Kobe Bryant, who has the same “take it personally” gene as Michael Jordan, DeMar learned the hard way not to poke the bear.
“He said, ‘the fuck you got those on for?' He was mad at me for doing that and he ended up hitting the game-winner on us that night, too. Talking trash the whole night and everything. Ever since then, I never put another pair of Jordans on,” DeRozan said of the Lakers icon.
Even in a Chicago Bulls uniform, DeMar DeRozan is swearing off Jordan shoes. While Kobe Bryant isn't around to scold him anymore, he's probably not taking any chances all the same.
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