‘It’s definitely gratifying’: DeMar DeRozan on the second act of his career
Chicago Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan is a transparent as they come for stars in the NBA.
DeRozan recently spoke with The Athletic’s David Aldridge about his career and life, including his time in San Antonio and how ‘gratifying’ his resurgence in Chicago has been for the second act of his career.
“It’s definitely gratifying from the standpoint that I hope I can be an inspiration for guys who lose confidence in themselves. Or they hit a rock in the road, and are struggling to figure it out. There’s always a way,” DeRozan said. “You can’t get down on yourself mentally, you can’t doubt yourself. You can’t get caught up into what everybody else may say and the expectations they put on you. As long as you have the ultimate belief in you and your work ethic, that’s the only thing that matters, that will pay off.”
DeRozan first spoke openly about his time in San Antonio on “The Old Man & The Three” with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, saying that he ‘doubted himself’ during his three years in San Antonio as if he fell off the basketball map.
“To me, that was my only thing. I didn’t want to fall by the wayside because something didn’t go my way. We all have careers. In any type of field, something’s not going to go our way. That don’t mean just drop it or settle for what’s there,” DeRozan told Alridge. “Keep pushing and try to be even better and kind of let that turn into something greater that you probably didn’t even know that you had in you. For me, that’s how I looked at it, and that was the approach I took, and I hope I was able to be any type of inspiration to anybody when it comes to that.”
And keep pushing Deebo has as he continues to play at a career-level in his 14th season.
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