Being from similar parts of Los Angeles, DeMar DeRozan could always relate to Nipsey Hussle. In a new episode of ‘Take It There with Taylor Rooks’ on Bleacher Report, the Spurs player talked about inspiration from the Crenshaw rapper and the friendship they had.
“I grew up in Compton. Roughest of the rough,” DeRozan said. “To us coming from the urban area, we seen a guy like Nipsey start from nothing. He was out motivation. He was a different type of light for us that we could relate to.”
DeRozan also revealed that he met up with Nipsey shortly before he passed away. “The crazy thing, I think it was about two or three weeks before, I had dinner with him,” he said. “We had the most in-depth conversations about life. About how to be a better individual. How to give back. How to make sure your people straight. A plan to do something great. That’s something that’s always gonna stick close to me for sure because I remember that night like it was yesterday.”
Check out the clip below.
.@DeMar_DeRozan reflects on his friendship with Nipsey Hussle and says the two had dinner 2-3 weeks before the LA rapper’s tragic death 🏁
“Take It There” with @TaylorRooks finale drops Tuesday pic.twitter.com/kfbDo8xfF9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) 3 June 2019