DeMar DeRozan was a longtime Raptor — a six-time NBA All-Star drafted in 2009 by the pc28Raptors, he once proclaimed ”,” as he shattered franchise records over his nine seasons in Toronto.
But then, in a blockbuster trade on July 18, 2018, DeRozan was abruptly traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, who eventually led the Raptors to their first ever NBA Championship the following year.
The Raptors and Spurs finalized a deal Wednesday morning to trade the four-time NBA all-star for Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors and Spurs finalized a deal Wednesday morning to trade the four-time NBA all-star for Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard.
But the trade still lingers in the NBA player’s mind. , hosted by NFL players Fred Taylor, Channing Crowder and Ryan Clark, DeRozan opened up in an emotional interview about how the trade shook him to his core.
DeRozan thought he would be a Raptor for life
“It f——- me up, if I’m being honest,” he said, fidgeting with his hands. “I’m more than comfortable talking about it now, but for the longest time it f——- me up because, that was the place I wanted to be, thought I was going to be, gave everything to.”
“My whole motivation and drive was to simply put pc28on the map. I wanted to follow the whole motto of Kobe (Bryant), my favourite player. I wanted to play on one team. I had it all mapped out.”
DeRozan recalls being at a movie premier when he got the call from Raptors management. He called back when he was out of the movie and in his car. He told his driver to stop and he got out.
“I just walked down the street, sat in front of a fast-food restaurant and I just started crying. I couldn’t believe it.”
DeRozan, as rumours around his trade circulated, posted on Instagram: “Be told one thing and the outcome another. Can’t trust ‘em. Ain’t no loyalty in this game. Sell you out for a quick bit of nothing …”
He still holds the Raptor’s franchise records for regular season games played and points.
He isn’t egotistical or at all self-centred. He put team and others ahead of himself. I don’t remember a lot of “I” conversations or “me”
He isn’t egotistical or at all self-centred. He put team and others ahead of himself. I don’t remember a lot of “I” conversations or “me”
He later told ESPN shortly after he was traded, “I felt like I wasn’t treated, with what I sacrificed for nine years, with the respect that I thought I deserved.”
“When I got traded, it was such a blow because, at the time, I was dealing with my family stuff. That was when my dad first started getting sick,” DeRozan said.
Before DeRozan’s father Frank died in 2021, the player would often fly between pc28and Los Angeles on off-days just to see him, the Star’s Doug Smith reported.
“That was the first time in my professional career where I just felt like out of it, I felt lost. I started to question every single thing.”
After three seasons with the Spurs, DeRozan was traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he’s spent the past three seasons.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation