DeMar DeRozan, Who’s Signed to Nike to Continue Kobe’s Shoe Legacy, Revealed How Kobe Bryant Would Curse Him Out and Force Him to Watch Soccer

DeMar DeRozan recently signed on to be the face of Kobe’s shoes and reveals Kobe Bryant would curse him out during advice. 

Kobe Bryant has perhaps the largest slew of superstars in the NBA who have directly taken advice from him. Guys like Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, and DeMar DeRozan are the most notable of the players today who have graduated from the ‘School of Mamba’. 

While the 5x champ did once admit to being closest to Kyrie, it was DeMar DeRozan who was approached with the opportunity to continue Bryant’s legacy. For nearly two years, Vanessa Bryant and Nike were at war with one another over the sale of the former’s late husband’s line of shoes. 

After reaching a decision this past spring of 2022, the Compton native was chosen to be the face of Kobes and rightfully so. The way DeRozan currently plays is near identical to how Kobe approached the offensive end of the floor. 

It’s clear that DeRozan picked up several traits from the Los Angeles Lakers legend and he opens up about what exactly he extracted from him.

Also read: Kobe Bryant, Who Invested $100 Million into a Venture Capital Fund, Snagged his First Sponsorship Deal as a Child in Italy

DeMar DeRozan on how Kobe Bryant helped his offensive game. 

Growing up in Compton, DeMar DeRozan was a Lakers fan through and through. Of course, in childhood, the purple and gold were represented by one man and that was Kobe Bean Bryant. Idolizing the man soon turned into facing him which soon became a mentor/mentee relationship. 

While on the ‘Old Man and the Three’ podcast, the 6’6 shooting guard revealed who he got his incredible footwork from. As expected, it was Kobe. 

“The footwork element, that was countless of getting cursed out by Kobe, about trying to do something the right way. All that came from him. His analogies and his metaphors, where he used to say certain things to me that I didn’t understand probably till a year. He spoke in codes and it was on you to figure it out.” 

“He was one of the first ones to make me start paying attention to f**king soccer. Like, ‘Look how they run.’ I’ve never played soccer, he said, ‘Just watch it.’”

Every move that DeMar DeRozan has shown off in the mid-range such as one-dribble pull-ups, hesi off the catch fadeaways, all of it shows hints of ‘The Black Mamba’.

Also read: 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Pays Tribute to Kobe Bryant, Draws Inspiration From His Golden Words