DeMar DeRozan InterviewBy: Joshua Motenko

Where are you now?

I’m in New York… just had a private workout here.

Tell me about those workouts. How have they been going so far?

Good. I’ve worked out
in Oakland, New York, Toronto, Washington and Oklahoma. They’ve
all been a good opportunity to show what I can do on the court.

Have you only been doing
private individual workouts, or have you been working out with
other players at your position?

No, they’ve all been individuals.

Why have you only worked
out in that style?

Well, one advantage is that
everyone can see what you have worked on and improved upon more.

What do you do better than
other players in the draft at your position?

Well, I can easily guard my
position. I’ve been working on my defense, and been trying to
be defense minded first.

Which teams are showing
the most interest at this point?

Every team I worked out for
is interested, I think.

Many scouts say that in
order to make it in the NBA, you have to have at least one skill that’s
transferable to the next level that can make you successful. Most
people would say that for you, it’s your athleticism, right?
So besides that, what would be your best skill?

I think defense. If you
look at athletic players in the NBA, if you look at the better players,
Kobe, Jordan, they all had the ability to shut down the other player
on defense. I see that.

This past year, what do
you think attributed to your slow start and what did you figure out
later in the season that helped your production?

You know, coming into college
and I was focused on learning and just getting experience. I came
in with my game, but I wanted to put new stuff into my game, so I was
trying to do that. Then, I felt like I got to be more of a team
player and then once I really learned the offense better things became
easier on the offensive end. I think I was successful because
I was trying to find easy spots to get points within the offense.
I worked on rebounding too, but I once I got more aggressive in the
flow of the offense the game became more mental.

Who in your life has always
given you advice you can count on?

My mom and dad, hands down.
They been with me throughout, you know? They’ve always told
me to just follow your heart and do what makes you comfortable.

Tell me about your upbringing…
what was your family life like?

Well, I grew up in Compton
so there were a lot of adversities. I had models showing me what
not to do there. But I always had my mom and dad there too.
So I was ok. I had one older brother and one older sister.
My brother coaches kids, you know, so he’s giving back, and my sister…
she’s working, taking care of two daughters, you know.

Were your parents athletes?

My mom played tennis and my
dad played football and basketball.

What was your first basketball
memory?

In 6^th grade when
I first dunked.

Paint a picture for me.
What was the scene like?

So, I was at a new school and
I was on the basketball court with the 8^th graders, and I
told everyone I could dunk. And then I tried, and I dunked it…
it was one handed off one foot. And so then I became popular at
the school.

Which NBA player did you
imitate growing up?

I pretended I was Kobe, and
Jordan too. You know, I was practicing the fade away, and trying
to see how they dunk.

Which player do you compare
yourself to now?

I don’t compare myself to
anyone. I think I’m my own player.

Do you think you think you
should be the second pick in the draft?

Oh definitely. You know,
I think every player should say that, you know?

Alright,
if there’s anything you want to add, now’s the time. Is there
anything more we need to know about you?

Well, I think one thing a lot
of people don’t know about me, I’m like Dwight Howard… or a guy
like Lebron, you know, where I like to have a lot of fun with the other
guys and make things like that… make things fun.