Despite finding himself in the middle of the biggest rap beef of the past decade last season, DeMar DeRozan says he will hold no ill will toward the city of Toronto, a place he says is dear to his heart, when the Kings kick off their 2025 preseason on Wednesday against the Raptors.
“That’s home,” DeRozan told reporters after practice Tuesday. “That’s where my whole career started. That’s where I became the player I am today. The Raptors organization definitely always going to hold a special place, regardless. 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now, there’s nothing that can ever replace that feeling that I had in my years there. It’s always cool to see familiar faces that are still there.”
DeRozan, who was born and raised in Compton, Calif. – also the home of Kendrick Lamar — played the first nine seasons of his career in Toronto – the home of Drake.
The drama unfolded publicly and even included Kings owner Vivek Ranadive getting involved, but still, the 36-year-old star says no diss from Drake can ever come between him and the city.
“I don’t care, what I did there, I put my life on the line every single night that I stepped on that court,” DeRozan said. “Nothing and nobody could ever take that away. I don’t get caught up in shenanigans, all that comes with it.
“At the end of the day, I hoop, I go out there, every true fan and every person who knows me there knows I represent that place more than anybody who ever came through there.”
And when it comes to the on-court aspect, DeRozan believes the Kings can benefit from seeing a team with great length – something Sacramento has struggled with in recent years.
“They’ve always been one of those dynamic teams that had a lot of wings,” DeRozan said. “They’ve got some great talent, to see [Brandon Ingram] back out there playing for them. You’ve got RJ [Barrett], you’ve got Scottie [Barnes], it’s a lot of length out there that we’ve got to be ready for. I’m looking forward to it.”
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