Chicago Bulls star DeMar Derozan was recently on an installment of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green’s podcast. The two talk about numerous topics including Michael Jordan’s legacy, playing with Lebron, and mental health.
Green is one of a few athletes dipping their toes in media while still playing. His podcast has become a confessional of sorts for some stories with interesting nuggets. DeRozan was no different.
DeRozan has always been open to doing media and has been vulnerable in the past with things such as mental health as well as his trade from Toronto. The media requests have been more frequent with the success of last season for DeRozan.
One thing was clear from this interview, Green and DeRozan are close and talk frequently.
Here is the full interview:
DeMar And The Warriors
Over the years Green has been arguably the biggest recruiter for the Golden State Warriors. When it came to his friend DeRozan, it was no different. Almost pestering, Green let DeRozan know San Fransisco was the best place to win a championship.
“I’m like ‘Bruh, you come to the Warriors, we can win a championship if you come to the Warriors.’ He didn’t come. We still won a championship, but he didn’t come. I had to throw that one out there.”
A great pitch in itself as Golden State won the title last year, DeRozan had other plans.
“Last year, free agency, talking to you every day like ‘Yo, you good? What about this, what about that?’ Then the conversation turned to ‘Come to the Warriors’ and you were like, ‘F—, no. I’m not coming there. I’m not coming to play with y’all.’
Instead, DeRozan came to Chicago in a sign and trade, almost overnight becoming an MVP candidate. He was the talk of NBA discussion through the middle portion of the season and especially after he hit back-to-back game-winners.
Green was there to talk to him throughout all of it. The two admitted to talking two to three times a week throughout the year over the phone. Perhaps if money were able to work DeRozan could be in the Bay right now a champion.
Jordan’s Legacy
It comes with any star playing in the city of Chicago. Derrick Rose went through it. Jimmy Butler for a short stint and now Zach LaVine and DeRozan are experiencing it. The shadow of Michael Jordan will always loom over the house he built on the west side of the city.
DeRozan said he feels like he has to bring it every night for the fans in the United Center as a Bulls player. It was only four or five games into last season when he truly felt the weight of that legacy. That feeling came when he air-balled the game-winning shot against the Knicks.
I felt like I disrespected the aura of what these fans are used to seeing….. I told myself I’d never be in that position again.
Luckily for the Bulls fandom, DeMar DeRozan has yet to disappoint on that promise.
