Off The Top | DeAndre Hopkins

Since being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2013, All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins has worked hard to become one of the best receivers in the NFL. For everyone who knows Hopkins, this comes as no surprise. Long before making the highlight reels on any given Sunday, Hopkins went from being the smallest kid on the playground, playing defensive back in high school, to switching to wide receiver at Clemson University. He does everything with heart, hustle, and an indomitable will to succeed.

These days, Hopkins is just as likely to break necks with his unique fashion sense. During a recent visit to StockX, he talked about his life growing up in Central, South Carolina, how he’s developed his sense of style, and, of course, football. Check out the latest installment of “Off the Top,” below.

The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 

StockX: DeAndre, this is an honor getting to talk with you. Would you please introduce yourself?

DeAndre Hopkins: I’m DeAndre Hopkins. I play wide receiver for the Houston Texans. Number 10, All-Pro, all that good stuff.

You’re from Central, South Carolina, right?

I’m from Clemson, SC. It’s the same thing; Central is just right outside of Clemson. 

Ok, so what’s your most vivid memory growing up in Clemson?

My most vivid memory from growing up would have to be my mom buying a new car.

What kind of car did she get?

She got an Expedition. Back then, my mom was that woman: she was a single mom with four kids, working two jobs, and buying an Expedition. To me, I wanted to go brag to all my friends like “We got this new Expedition!” That was like the highlight of growing up.

When did you first get introduced to the game of football?

I got introduced to the game of football when I was around four years old. I had an uncle who played in the NFL, and I had a cousin that played at Clemson University. Both of those two guys went to Clemson University, so growing up around there, it’s a way of life to watch football and to watch Clemson football. 

Do you remember your first Clemson game? Do you remember watching Clemson on Saturdays when you were little?

Yeah! I had another uncle, who was a strength training coach at Clemson. He’s been there for almost 30 years. He would take come me and my cousin, his son, to the game and let us hang around the locker room around all the guys, the coaches, and ake stuff. I’ve been around Clemson University since as long as I can remember. I think my first game might have been when I was around eight, eight, or nine? I remember watching the games sitting right there beside the TV. My aunt had to tell me to move back because I was too close to the screen.

Were you always a wide receiver when you were growing up playing football?

Nah, I wasn’t. My first position was at quarterback when I was seven or eight. In middle school, I was a quarterback, and then when I got to high school, I switched to defensive back. I thought I was going to play DB in college because I had the state record for interceptions for high school career and interceptions for a single season. I never played receiver until I got to Clemson.

Was there a moment in middle school or high school when you realized that you could take it to the next level, play college ball? And when did you know that you could take it to the professional level?

I watched football growing up, but I didn’t understand the significance of having a great game or a game that made people look at you like a blue-chip player. The first game of my 10th-grade year we played the defending state champions—the #1 team in the state. I went out and had three interceptions in one game, and I returned the first one for a pick 6. That game was my first time playing high school football, so I really didn’t know how big having three interceptions in one game was until the following week when all the local media and news people came and wanted to interview me. Still, I didn’t understand how big of a deal that was to have that many interceptions. The first game of my high school career was my awakening to the fact that I could do this at the next level.

Did that change your process or your approach to the game? Did your work ethic change?

It did, for sure. After having those three interceptions, after having all of the local media come to interview me, and getting letters from colleges, I realized I have to put in a lot of work to do this. I was always small—super skinny—so I never thought I’d be in the NFL. I understood then I had to get in the weight room and train my body and mind. It definitely switched when I started getting scholarships and offers from colleges. That’s when I knew I had to work.

During interviews with your coaches, they all talk about your competitiveness. Have you always had this competitive fire? How have been able to fuel it?

Being a competitor has been there since I was young. For a while, I was the youngest sibling, until I was like six years old when my little sister was born. I had two older siblings; they were always the best at sports. They were better than me, and they were older than me. I always wanted to compete with them and do everything they did but do it better. I’ve always had that drive.

I grew up in the projects, so it was always a bunch of kids playing sports and playing ball. You couldn’t play on the court unless you had a little something to you or you would just be watching. I was one of those little kids that always wanted to be out there. I was the youngest one out there in the projects playing with the older kids. Since I can remember, when I was five or six years old, I was out there shooting on the 10-foot goal.

So ever since then you just had that drive?

Yeah man, I always had it. Even if it’s shooting a basketball or playing ice hockey, I’m going to try my best. Even if I’m not the best at it, I’m going to go hard.

The other thing that people know about you is your confidence. How does that confidence impact your game? How does it affect the team around you? Is it a skill you work on?

It’s not a skill that you work on; it’s more of a mindset. It’s a mindset that you can’t teach. Some people feel like I was cocky or overconfident, but I’ve always had that mindset that I’m the best even when I was ranked 60-something in Madden 2013. I’ve always felt like I was the best receiver. That’s how I was raised, to feel like you were always the best. I feel like it always helps the team charisma. If everyone on the team takes their position and feels like they are going to be the best, it will make things work. It’s like the engine; the engine doesn’t work without everything being on point. I understand it’s a team sport, but you have to take responsibility and feel like you’re the best at your position and do it to your best potential.

Did you have that mindset back in high school and at Clemson when you were switching positions?

Yeah, for sure. At Clemson, when I switched positions, it was hard going from defensive back to wide receiver, but I knew I could play football, so I didn’t care where they put me. I’m happy they put me at receiver because I’m here now. That transition from DB to receiver, the first day I went out there,  I was catching everything, and in my mind, I thought I was the best receiver, this is my starting job. I didn’t know how to run a route, but I was catching the football.

Do you think playing DB helped you know what the defense’s mindset? Do you think it gave you an edge?

Oh, for sure. It helped a lot playing defensive back my whole career because I understand what a DB looks for in the route and how you can tip your route off. 

So let’s talk style. You are one of the pioneers of a new NFL style that’s getting people talking about what you guys are wearing off the games. Have you always had that style? Talk a little bit about where that comes from.

I always had that style. Even in elementary school, I remember having some fake Gucci loafers. They might have been $50. I didn’t understand how big Gucci was; I just liked the shoes. We were shopping on a budget, Section 8. My mom would tell me I could have one thing for Christmas, so I would ask for one big item and swag it out every day. I always had that sense of style. I don’t know where it came from because I grew up in the country; in the country, not a lot of people have fashion or a sense of style. Once I got to the NFL, the rest is history. I don’t feel like guys who are considered fashion-forward people have stylists. I don’t have a stylist. I don’t need it. I have an eye for clothes myself, and not just the big prints but actually fashion.

Where do you find inspiration for your style and sense of fashion?

I get inspiration from different eras, not so much from a person. Like in the 1970s, they were doing this type of thing. I like even older stuff. I look at eras and time because I feel like it recycles. I’m just one of those guys that think outside the box about that stuff. One game I wore something that made me look like a British colonial pioneer. That was the look I was going for. No stylist was involved; it was just me. Like alright, I’m going to go back to this time and try to be the swaggiest person in the British colonial times. 

Do you even think about the reaction that a fit like that was going to get? 

Not really because I don’t care. I don’t do it to for someone to say I’m the most fashion-forward guy. It’s just how I process things and how I want to look. 

Going back to you talking about those first Gucci loafers, what about sneakers? Everyone has an origin story of when they got interested in sneakers or the first shoe they got when they started playing basketball. Is there a first sneaker that you can recall?

Man, there is, it’s funny. The first sneakers that I can recall that I considered to be my shoe was a pair of British Knights. For me, that was a classic. Like what do you know about British Knights? I saw the British Knights and fell in love. Honestly, I didn’t know anything about British Knights before I bought that pair of shoes. I balled in those shoes as long as I could.

How did your taste in sneakers change? I know you played basketball a lot in high school. What were you hooping in back then?

I was hooping in Kobes. I would wear shoes of people that I like, and Kobe is one of my favorite players. The Kobes were the lightest shoes for me at the time. Those were one of my first pair of basketball shoes when I started playing basketball. It was the Kobe 2s, the silver, and grey ones.

The adidas ones?

Yeah, the adidas ones.

The ones that look like a car?

Yeah, yeah!

I remember those. They were like a big box.

So those were my first pair of basketball shoes. Everyone was talking about them like “those big silver shoes,” but I was out there ballin’ [laughs]. 

How do you think the way you play represents your family, Clemson football, and where you are from?

Everything is about growth. You can never start somewhere and finish there. You aren’t supposed to have that mindset. I feel like everything is about growing and developing. That’s what I’ve been able to do since I’ve been in the NFL. My family has been there to support me through everything; my family has always been right there. I feel like I still have room to improve. I can still get better. My mom always instilled that in me. Even growing up, people around the area would think that I was the best, but she would critique my game, saying, “Nah, you did this wrong, you can do this better.” That’s just how I grew up. We were never the type of family and community to settle for less. Keep pushing and keep going.

So people know your competitor, your fierce, and know your fashion is outside the box. What is something people don’t know about Deandre Hopkins?

People don’t know that I’m into business. I’m a very business-minded person. I’m an entrepreneur.

Do you want to talk about your investments and what you have going on?

I’m opening up a coffee shop, Hilltop Cafe, in Houston. It is actually in L.A. right now. I’m working with Curate to develop the cafe, and we are coming together for a dope concept in Houston right now. So be on the lookout for the Curate Hilltop Cafe.

So outside of the game, investments, and fashion, you got a lot of stuff going on. What’s next? What is the future for DeAndre Hopkins? What does success look like for you?

The future for DeAndre Hopkins is helping other people from less fortunate situations have the opportunity to become anything they want in life. That’s what’s next for me. Helping out people who want to be in my position: football, business, or whatever it is. Helping the community and giving back is the future for Deandre.