DeMar DeRozan is returning to where it all began, and he's doing it simply for the love of the city of Toronto.
The Sacramento Kings star will face his former team in Wednesday's 2025 preseason game against the Raptors.
Despite being embroiled in the infamous feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar earlier this year, DeRozan said he holds no grudge against the city he once carried on his back.
“That's home,” DeRozan told reporters Tuesday, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “That's where my whole career started. That's where I became the player I am today. No matter what, the Raptors will definitely always hold a special place. 10, 20, 30 years from now, nothing can replace the feeling of my years there. It's always cool to see familiar faces still around.”
Born and raised in Compton, California, the same hometown as Kendrick Lamar, DeRozan spent nine seasons in Toronto and became one of the team's most popular players.
Even though his name was embroiled in last season's rap feud between Drake and Lamar, he made it clear that no diss track could tarnish his connection to the city.
“I don't care, what I did out there, I put my life at risk every night I stepped on the court,” DeRozan said. “Nothing, no one can take that away from me. I'm not going to get caught up in the shenanigans and everything that comes with it. At the end of the day, I play basketball, I go out there and every true fan and everybody that knows me knows that I represent this place better than anyone who's ever been there.”
READ MORE: Michael Malone Knows What Really Happened to Al Horford’s Move to Golden State
