San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan talks Lil’ Penny, Kobe and cheat food

During a recent podcast appearance, San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan touched on a variety of topics largely related to what inspires him.

When the offseason rolls around, sometimes it becomes easier to get to know your favorite San Antonio Spurs players. Most of the time, this comes through interviews on YouTube, Podcasts and television shows. Recently, we got to see a different side of star wing DeMar DeRozan during his appearance on The Crossover with Noah Lichtenstein.

During the interview, DeRozan discussed a variety of topics beginning with his inspirations from basketball culture outside of the game itself. DeMar noted that when he was just a child, we loved Nike’s highly-successful ‘Lil’ Penny’ commercials. This was influential to the current-day Nike athlete’s path in his own show endorsements.

He also touched on his collection of Kobe PEs and how he’s gained such an expansive catalog of exclusive Kobe shoes. DeRozan said that came directly from his relationship with Kobe Bryant — A player who inspired him from well before his days in the NBA. The two had a solid relationship based on respect and appreciation for each other. It was Kobe himself who gave DeRozan the go-ahead to start wearing his shoes including a variety of player edition exclusives.

Getting to know DeMar DeRozan away from basketball.

DeRozan dished on which San Antonio Spurs players have the best style. He gave that nod to his good friend and Spurs teammate, Rudy Gay, whose influence in fashion grows with each passing season. On the flip side, DeMar mentioned that head coach Gregg Popovich would be the first one to tell you that he has no style. You’ve got to love that Pop is a straight shooter!

When asked what his go-to quarantine cheat meal was, DeMar said WingStop with no hesitation (Same here, Deebo). This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the San Antonio Spurs’ longstanding history with the chain chicken wing restaurant. There’ve been many player appearances as San Antonio Wingstop locations over the years and at times, a rookie’s duty would be to get Wingstop for the entire team before flying to their next game.

On a more serious note, DeMar was adamant about his pride in his fellow NBA players who venture outside of basketball to express themselves.

“I hope people just see that we are more than just basketball players who put the ball in the hoop,” DeRozan said. “Guy’s minds are so creative and this platform that we have being basketball players opened up so much other things to inspire the world. To me, that’s the most joyful thing to sit back and watch.”

Basketball players inspire the community through their talent, but there’s more to it than simply performing their jobs. Being in the NBA provides players with an opportunity to be whoever they want to be and represent the things they’re most passionate about. Whether that be fashion, social justice reform, content creation, or a mix, NBA players are more empowered than ever to express themselves on a greater scale.

That certainly holds true with the fun San Antonio Spurs group we followed all year long.