DeMar DeRozan on playing with LeBron, Michael Jordan & most clutch players | Best of Draymond Green

I'm going into a high school gym watching you and LeBron James play a basketball game. What was that like? And I know you play in the Drew often, but I can't imagine the energy that I felt that day. I can't imagine that it's always like that.

Nah, I mean, I made it, a conscious effort to come back this off season and say I was going to try playing the Drew every weekend. You know, last couple of years, you know, especially with the pandemic, it was a summer, it wasn't no Drew. The following summer was kind of sporadic all over the place. You know, so that basketball element, you know, for the community hasn't been there. You know, I think for me, I was just trying to get back on top of working on my game, but just give those, the kids that hasn't had the opportunity to see, you know, basketball up close and personal, you know? And for me, it was just a conscious effort of being there. And it was one day, one, the previous weekend, Bron had hit me after I played in it and was like, yo, I'm trying to come down there and play with you. So I'm like, you know, in the moment I'm like, hell yeah, that's dope. You know, not just for me, just for the community, you know? And he was with it, you know, I told him, man, come on, let's do it. You know, he hit me the night before. I put out a little tweet, you know, and woke up the next day and it was one of those moments that you can't duplicate. Like I remember when Kobe came and played in the Drew, that was kind of one of the most epic moments of how he did that. But it wasn't even supposed to have been a game played that day. So this time around with Bron coming, it was a game supposed to be played. I've been playing in it and to wake up that morning and see the line around the Drew League, Stretched around the corner. It just took it back to that old school, early 2000s feel. Like you said, being in the high school gym and just to see the kids out there being able to see LeBron James come play in Compton. Like you cannot beat that. You know, and the atmosphere was one of a kind. It was special. I was honored to be a part of it. And, you know, I gotta give credit to Bron for even, you know, you talking about a guy that's— LeBron. The GOAT in our league going into his 20th season, you know, going out there playing like what we grew up watching, you know what I mean? It was amazing feeling. You know, I had a great time just being out there, you know, playing with him obviously. And you know, you just look around, it was a couple moments where I just looked around, you see kids, you know, just the smile and excitement on their face. Like that's something—

Yeah.

That they gonna remember forever, you know? And that's what it's all about.

Absolutely. I spoke about this on maybe 2 episodes ago on the podcast, and I was speaking about, number 1, some of the talking heads come out and wanna dissect the game. Number 1, we're not dissecting the summer, A Drew League game. Now we're not even gonna go Summer League. That's NBA Summer League. We're not dissecting a Drew League game. But what I said on that episode was what it was for me. And again, I'm not from Compton. I'm not from LA. I don't play in LA. I live here. But, and so this isn't my community. Now in saying that, you from here, I got other folks from here. I embraced the community 'cause this community has been great to me, although I haven't played here, I'm not from here. So I embraced this community, but as someone who's not a local here, what I saw was, like you just said, kids that will never in their life have the opportunity to watch you play, have the opportunity to watch LeBron James play. And, and like, I could feel that. Like, you could see that. You could see the reactions on their faces. And to allow the city to touch him. Growing up for me, and I'm sure it's the same way for you, maybe possibly a little different for you because it's bigger around you as opposed to me growing up in Saginaw. Mm-hmm. NBA players were like surreal to me.

Yeah, no question.

Like they weren't real people. They're like somebody you watch play basketball on TV and like, wow, that's incredible. Like I wanna do that one day, but no clue how to get there. What I saw from those kids was like, they got to touch you. They got to touch LeBron James. How big is that for the community and continuing to move Compton forward and continuing to make Compton a better place than it was when you arrived in Compton.

That's what it's all about. And that was even a conversation I had with Brian was saying, you know, this was for the city. You know, last couple years, you know, the passing of Kobe, you know, we lost Nipsey Hussle. It's been, you know, the city has kind of been extremely heavy with losing a lot of, legends that the community look up to and guys just outside of sports that move this whole community and give you imagination and give you that inspiration and wanna keep pushing forward. You know, so that moment there was an opportunity for us to capitalize on. And like you said, you've seen it in these kids' face that that's gonna do something for them that's way beyond just basketball. It give you a sense of, motivation, confidence, inspiration, and wanna be something bigger and better than what you see in that moment. I remember when I was a kid, you know, no disrespect, but to me, my first NBA player that I seen that I thought was everything that I could touch was Derek Martin. Most people won't even know who Derek Martin is, but I remember seeing him at my grandfather house when I was a kid and just knowing he was in the NBA was the only motivation I needed to keep pushing forward. Yeah.

You know what I mean? Absolutely, 100%.

So you telling me LeBron James just came down here to play and right across the street is the projects, right down the street, like, is the neighborhood I grew up in. Like, I could go on and own what's around that community. So to see this man come up there and play, them, it about, you know, critiquing it. Like you said, it's bigger than that. It's bigger than basketball. It's being an inspiration and a motivation to that community to have light and to keep pushing forward. And that was a positive day that's gonna be remembered forever.

Chicago, every time I play there, I hear that music and that star lineup and it does something to me. I feel like Michael Jordan about to run out of the tunnel. Do y'all get that sense in playing there and getting that every single day or is it not quite? For sure.

Yeah, no question. It trips me out even just driving there, bro. Like parking outside. I remember just seeing all the highlights, Jordan back in the day, parking outside, you know? Like, so for me, every time I go there, bro, I feel it. Like, I'm not even gonna lie. Like, you just, you just feel like you gotta, you gotta bring it every single night, especially for those fans, man. And it's, it's crazy. I was telling somebody, I think I was telling my, I forgot who I was telling my partners this the other day. I said, the moment where I really realized like you gotta bring it every single night in that arena, I never spoken this like on nothing media, nothing. I think we was 4 or 5 games into the season. We was playing the Knicks. And I took the game winner, I airballed. And I just felt like, I just felt the whole vibe of everything. Like, what the fuck? Like, what was that? Like, you know what I mean? Like, I felt like I disrespected the aura of what these fans is used to seeing from obviously MJ hitting game winners. And you know, you live for those moments and to be in that moment for the first time, my 4th, 5th season in the game, And I take that shot, it was like, I told myself I would never be in that situation again to let that same feeling happen for these fans. I swear to God, bro. I never told that. It was that game to where it was like, every shot I take in a clutch, I'm gonna make it count every single time. So you look back at all the moments that I had in that arena, it was more so like, Yo, this is the ghost of like, I'm trying to inherit the ghost of Michael shooting his fadeaway with the clock running down.

Absolutely.

I carried that to heart after that moment, because you felt it from the fans. You felt it on social media when it was like, yeah, you taking that. You know what I mean?

Absolutely.

It was like, nah, like nah. So that's how I carry it every time I walk in there. You see, you know, you see Scottie Michael, you see Bob Love, you see these jerseys up there and it's like, and you hear this music when you come out, it's the same, you know what I mean? It's the same thing. You gotta live up to it. You got to, you got to.

So there you have it. You were wondering where those game winners steal from. My man, by the way, don't get so cocky and give us the one leg game winner again, man. Put that back in your bag, man.

I had to.

But in speaking of game winners, and I think this is a great way for us to end, I'm gonna end this with a trivia question. Actually, on clutch shot making. I'm gonna give you the first one. You have the most clutch shots made since 2012 with 64. Who are the next 4? Since 2012, so that's my rookie year.

Yeah, Steph.

Actually, number 2. With 62, by the way.

How many I got?

64.

Steph.

For those of you that don't know, by the way, clutch shots is in the last 5 minutes of a game. I seen it before.

Or overtime. Hold on, I seen this before. Steph. Steph, Dame.

Dame has 61.

How many you said it is?

There's 4 more after you, just the next 4 alone.

And I named 2 more, right?

You named Steph and Dame, there's 2 more. Give you a hint, they play on the same team.

KD, Kyrie?

Eh.

Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. Oh, it gotta be Bron and Russ.

Russ got 61 as well.

Draymond Green.

LeBron got 55.

Yeah, there you go, yeah.

I think this is a very interesting thing because two of these guys on this list, one sitting right here and Russ, the disrespect is unbelievable.