“Kobe Bryant wanted to hoop!”: Demar DeRozan was called to the Hood for his Drew League outing 

When Kobe Bryant wants to play basketball, you play basketball. Demar DeRozan recounts the time when Kobe called him to the hood. 

The legend of Kobe Bryant is resurrected once again. This time in the form of his story from the Drew League. Yes, Kobe also played in the Drew League, all the way back in 2011.

The story is quite famous, he played, and the police wanted him to leave earlier, hit the game-winner, and shut it down. But hearing a personal account from one of the players he torched is something else altogether.

Demar DeRozan, one of the best shooting guards in the game was at the mercy of Kobe during this game. And as Demar recalls, it was a surreal experience.

Also read: “Wilt Chamberlain, me and Michael Jordan!”: When 6’5″ Kobe Bryant named himself in his list of greatest players while dominating James Harden in the Drew League

Demar Derozan Discusses Kobe Bryant Dropping 45 Points and the Game-Winner in the Drew League in 2011 (2021) pic.twitter.com/9ImEDcYILM

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When Kobe Bryant calls, you have to answer, says Demar DeRozan!

DeRozan recalls that during the 2011 lockout, Kobe called to tell them that they had to play. No questions asked, everyone, suited up and got ready.

As per Demar, Kobe didn’t even warm up, “It was like he stretched in the car!“. Bryant also talked trash throughout the game, saying the infamous “Wilt.Me.Mike” line.

The game was close, quite close. So much so that, Kobe was asked to leave early in order to avoid riots, after all, they were in the hood.

Bryant would never back down from a challenge and he said he wasn’t leaving until the game finished. And before you know it, he hit the game-winner.

Demar recalls that it was a spectacle. As soon as Bryant made the shot, the crowds rushed in to celebrate, and it was a moment that would forever be enshrined in basketball history.

As for Demar, he was on the losing end, but since then has been one of the closest followers of Kobe’s game in the league.

Also read: “I was preparing since the 9th grade, my father was there for me”: When an 18-year-old Kobe Bryant displayed maturity far beyond his age when asked about being one of the young kids in the league