There was a moment in Minnesota this past season that stuck with DeMar DeRozan, and it wasn’t about buckets, highlights, or wins. It came at the free-throw line.
Anthony Edwards turned to him and said, “Man, I gotta get in the gym with you, man. You gotta teach me the midrange and the post, post, post.”
DeRozan’s response? “I got you, dog.”
For the 16-year NBA vet and current Sacramento Kings star, it was more than just a compliment. It was a full circle moment.
DeRozan had some words to say during his recent Whole Lotta Buckets Podcast Episode.
“But it’s like, you heading down the right direction, you know what I mean?,” DeRozan said on Whole Lotta Buckets. “But for you to worry about that that much in that moment and ask me that, it was a full circle moment for me because it was like, for sure. You know what I mean? That’s what it’s all about. It’s just building on the game, and that’s what it’s all about, man. I’m telling you, that’s how I always viewed it, I looked at it.”
“Every time I needed Kobe for anything, he was right there for me, you know what I mean? So, for me, that’s what it’s all about. But you got a lot of guys that done reached out within the game, outside of the game that wanted me to work on them—and that mean a lot. You know what I mean? That for sure mean a lot.”
Now at nearly 36, DeRozan finds himself in the role Kobe once played for him, the mentor, the steady presence, the guy who’s seen the league from every angle.
And he’s not gatekeeping any of it.
DeRozan isn’t just passing the torch, he’s handing over the blueprint.
And somewhere, you’d have to think Kobe’s smiling.
