When DeMar DeRozan was on the Toronto Raptors, many thought that he and Kyle Lowry would bring the franchise its first NBA championship. However, when the Raptors became world champions in 2019, DeRozan was forced to watch it from the comfort of his living room like many fans worldwide.
While many thought DeRozan would lead the Raptors to a chip after being their star player between 2009-2018, it all changed when he was traded to San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. In a recent interview with Draymond Green for Bleacher Report’s Chips, DeRozan revealed his thoughts on his exit from the Canadian franchise:
“That whole narrative was just frustrating, to where it was like, alright, damn social media. So by the time they got to the Finals, I think I ended up leaving the country and getting away from everything and everybody and my phone.”
DeRozan did mention that he was extremely thrilled for the city to this day and the guys that won the championship. His only qualm is that he wanted to “be the one to make that happen.” In the same interview, the four-time All-Star and now Chicago Bull revealed that it was heartbreaking to be traded and his exact conversation with Masai Ujiri,
“He was like, ‘So yeah, we just traded you to San Antonio. I just wanted to let you know it’s going to come out in the morning. And I was like, literally bro, I touched the driver, I said ‘stop the car.’ I got out the car and just walked down the street, hung up the phone, and just sat outside at a Jack-in-the-Box for two hours.
It was one of the toughest times ever because I really didn’t have no guidance with this shit.”
Watch the whole interview above.
Elsewhere in sports, Ben Simmons is reportedly “not mentally prepared to play yet.”
