It’s no secret how big a fan of the late Kobe Bryant DeMar DeRozan is. Hailing from the city of Compton (which is less than 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles), DeRozan grew up idolizing the Black Mamba, which led to him patterning so much of his game after the all time great shooting guard. In a piece by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst from December of 2019, DeRozan broke down just how much he idolized Bryant and how he studied his game:
“I’d watched him growing up. I watched Kobe do everything. His shot. His footwork.