Former Raptors all-star DeMar DeRozan shares thoughts about playing in Toronto
DeMar DeRozan may have a beef with one of Toronto's most famous musicians, but he has nothing against the city itself.
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During a recent appearance on the Run Your Race podcast, the California-raised NBA star – who has become involved in the rap feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, siding with the latter — shared his feelings about playing the majority of his career north of the border.
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When asked by host Theo Pinson, a former NBA guard, about his time playing in Toronto, DeRozan was nothing but complimentary towards the Six.
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'Talk about hooping in Toronto, in general … How special is Toronto?' Pinson asked.
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'I'm glad I didn't get drafted nowhere else. Toronto is always going to be the No. 1 place in my heart,' DeRozan said.
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'For everything that they've done for me, did for me, supporting me through my time there.'
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DeMar's love for Toronto is unconditional #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/PYMdJhByFM
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) May 28, 2025
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DeRozan was selected ninth overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Raptors.
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'I grew up there, I embraced everything that came with playing there and I just wanted to give everything back to that place when it came to playing basketball,' DeRozan continued.
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'That's why I worked so hard, that's why I repped so hard … that fanbase deserved that when it came to sports.'
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The six-time NBA all-star also said that he wanted the city to be known for more than just the Leafs on the sporting landscape.
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'When I got there, I remember just only seeing the Maple Leafs on TV every single day,' he said.
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'I wanted it to be respected for basketball as well, I wanted people to think that Toronto, from that standpoint as well.
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'That's why it was so dope when we hosted (NBA all-star weekend) there in 2016, to bring more light to the city.'
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During the interview, DeRozan also praised his former teammate and fellow Raptors great Chris Bosh.
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DeRozan said that, during his rookie season, he was blown away by the 11-time all-star.
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'Listen, CB was cold,' DeRozan told Pinson, according to Basketball Network. 'Listen, bro. I remember our first training camp. I remember coming in training camp and excited for training camp. I'm like, 's***, Chris Bosh is about to be here.' He coming in training camp, but he didn't do training camp, because I think that's the summer before they did the Olympics. He was on the Olympic team, so he was resting.
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'But when the season started and how he got to it, he was getting buckets, he was getting 40. I'm like, 'Yo, this motherf***** nice!' DeRozan added.
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