To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the invention of basketball, Spalding released 125 special edition, black and gold basketball's to represent their involvement in the game since day 1. Toronto Raptors' DeMar DeRozan got his hands on two of the 125 balls, and Spalding told the shooting guard to send the second ball to someone he thought impacted the game unlike any other.
It's no surprise DeRozan packaged his ball, and sent it to his childhood idol, the recently retired Kobe Bryant. Growing up in Compton, California, DeRozan emulated Bryant, and it can easily be noticed in the way he plays the game of basketball.
Along with sending the basketball, DeRozan sent Bryant a message on social media letting Kobe know a ball was on its way.
And Kobe responded to the Raptors' all-star with some mutual respect.
