“He said, ‘the f*** you got those on for’” - DeMar DeRozan talks about Kobe Bryant getting mad at him for wearing a pair of Jordans
Chicago Bulls superstar DeMar DeRozan recalled a story involving Kobe Bryant from the days of playing against him.
Appearing on Serge Ibaka's The Mafuzzy Chef show on YouTube, the Bulls superstar spoke about one of his encounters with Kobe Bryant. DeRozan mentioned it was before a matchup as he was wearing a pair of Jordans much to the dislike of Bryant. DeRozan said:
"I was like, I ain't wearing his shoes and playing against him tonight, so I wore Jordans. He said, 'The f*** 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. Never put another pair of Jordans on."
DeRozan was one of those players that Kobe took under his wing and helped out with everything regarding his game. DeRozan is considered the master of midrange in the modern NBA. There is no doubt Bryant played a role in helping develop a great mid-range game.
"I said I'm not wearing his shoes and playing against him tonight, so I wore Jordans. 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. Never put another pair of Jordans on."
DeMar DeRozan on Kobe Bryant https://t.co/KfIiQBcbSh
Recollecting Kobe Bryant's final game
Kobe Bryant was the backbone of the Los Angeles Lakers for well over a decade and is arguably the greatest Laker of all time. The Black Mamba was their talisman and the man they turned to for big occasions. But his final game for the Lakers was an emotional night in front of a packed Staples Center, who saw their favorite son play for the last time.
Kobe Bryant averaged just over 28 minutes in his final season. He averaged 17.6 points on a little over 35% shooting from the field. Kobe's 20th season in the league was an injury-ravaged one. It showed how much he endured in his two decades in the NBA.
5 years ago today 💜💛
Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final NBA game. https://t.co/xE7qaLDLla
However, Kobe Bryant was only going to end things his way. In the final game of his career, the Lakers played the Utah Jazz at home. Bryant played a mammoth 42 minutes, scoring a ridiculous 60 points on 44% shooting from the floor. Kobe also added four rebounds and four assists.
The most outrageous number from his statline of the night was the 50 field goal attempts that he had, which included 21 from beyond the arc. Kobe also shot 12 free throws that night and made 10 of them.
It was later revealed that former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, during a pregame conversation, told Bryant that he wanted 50 from him. The Mamba delivered 60.
It was a truly Kobe-esque performance as the Lakers won the game 101-96 in front of a Staples Center crowd that went berserk at the end of the game.