RIO DE JANEIRO — DeMar DeRozan, the multi-multi-millionaire from the ghetto, grew up in a home without cable television. “We couldn’t afford it,” he said.
“I guess the best part of not having cable — we always got the Olympics on TV. You didn’t need cable for that.
“I loved the Olympics as a kid. The whole experience of it. Not just basketball. The whole culture. I loved it and I watched everything, the power walking, the track, the swimming, gymnastics, you name it, you gain an appreciation for whatever it was.
“And I was so in love with all the athletes and our country and what it meant.”
And here he is now, looking down at his Team USA top with a certain pride, eyes wide, excited to be part of the team in a place he never believed possible: His first Olympic Games. It’s easy to be cynical about big-time pros, set-for-life athletes, infiltrating the Olympics, even living on a cruise ship off the coast of Rio, until you listen to DeRozan, the Toronto Raptors star, watch him, and understand how much this means.
“I can’t even put it in words,” he said. “This all still seems like a dream. I’m here, with one of my good friends, with one of my favourite teammates of all time, now a teammate we can share an Olympic experience with. This is awesome.”
Kyle Lowry’s mom was an Olympic lover. She had him sitting with him in their Philadelphia home, watching everything in the Summer Games from the time he was old enough to understand.
“My mother made me watch gymnastics,” Lowry said. “She made me watch swimming. She made me watch all of it. And of course, we watched every major event at the Olympics, and of course, we watched basketball. And it hit me today. I’m part of this. I’m part of the 2016 Olympics in Rio. People are going to be watching me on TV the way I used to watch. I don’t know if I can express what that means to me.
“This is an unbelievable accomplishment that I still haven’t completely fathomed. It’s an honour I can’t put into words. I can’t even put into words how much pride I feel to represent our country. I think, if given the choice, everybody would want to do this. To be proud. To represent their country. To represent it in the right way. I’m excited. I’m really excited.
“And to be here with this group of guys, and get a chance to be here with my teammate, my boy, DeMar, that makes it all the more special. We’re here to get a gold medal, man. To come home with a gold medal. To be able to tell your kids, show your kids, you played for your country and you won a gold medal, that’s something hopefully I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
DeRozan can’t wait for a visit Friday to the Athletes’ Village. Lowry wants to meet one of his Olympic heroes, Michael Phelps. “The things he’s done. They amaze me,” Lowry said. “I’d like to get to an event and see him swim.”
It is easy to talk gold medal before you’ve played a game when you play basketball for Team USA. Jerry Colangelo’s record since taking over the Olympic team is 80-1. The U.S. has played in 17 men’s basketball tournaments, winning 14 of them. A win here isn’t hoped for, it’s expected.
“It means a lot to be here with Kyle and I think it means a lot for the Toronto Raptors, too,” DeRozan said. “I hope we’re pushing the envelope here a little. We’re here. Jonas (Valanciunas) is here. Our former teammate (Luis Scola) is here. There’s an understanding we’re a team that should be paid attention to now. A team that worked its way from nothing to something.”
The U.S. does not have a game scheduled against Lithuania, so there is no assurance that DeRozan and Lowry will get to play against Valanciunas. But a number of reporters inquired about it.
“Do you know all the secrets about playing against Jonas?” a television reporter asked.
“I know everything,” DeRozan said with a smile. “I taught Jonas everything. I can’t wait to see Jonas and throw a few elbows at him.”
And they both hoped Cory Joseph would be here as part of the Canadian national team, but that didn’t happen. “I hope all of Canada is cheering for us now,” Lowry said. “DeMar and I were talking about this yesterday. We can have two fan bases here. Americans and Raptors fans. Two countries supporting us.”
They came within two wins of playing for the NBA championship but that was different, that was business. This is a wonder for both DeRozan and Lowry, a challenge, a privilege.
“I never believed this was possible,” said Lowry, who said it took him a second to say yes when USA Basketball called. “This is something you watched on TV. This isn’t something I ever believed would happen in my life.”
ssimmons@postmedia.com