San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan took to Instagram Live to tell a quick anecdote of his interaction with Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. During a chat with former NBA player Nate Robinson, DeRozan detailed the time when he traded his Bryant signature sneakers for a pair of Jordans.

As the unwritten rules of the NBA would have it, players who wear other player's signature sneakers usually refuse to wear them when they go against that player — likely to not give the opponent any mental edge.

DeRozan swapped his usual Kobes for a pair of Jordans, but The Mamba wasn't pleased to see it.

“I learned when I was a couple years in the league. If you played a person, you wouldn't wear their shoes,” DeRozan said during a conversation with Robinson. “I always wore Kobes bro, but whenever [the Raptors] would play the Lakers, I didn't wear them, right?

“So there was one game that I didn't play in them. We're playing the Lakers in Toronto. I said ‘man, f*** that, he ain't about to kill us. I can't have his shoes on and I'm guarding him. So I wear some Jordans. Jordan 10s. As soon as he walks on the court, he was mad as a motherf***er.”

DeRozan admits that from that time on, he kept on wearing Kobe's signature line no matter what, having seen his reaction.

Bryant's signature sneakers are some of the most popular amid NBA players due to their precise fit, comfort, and style. The former Lakers superstar popularized the use of low-top sneakers during an era of mid- and high-tops, making it cool for sneakers to be lightweight again.