USC Basketball: Trojan-Turned-All-Star Remains Disciplinary Trendsetter On NBA Team

Should we expect a big year from the former Trojan?

USC basketball has churned out plenty of talented players for the NBA. The one that many think of from recently is current Chicago Bull forward DeMar DeRozan as he has gone on to have a great career. He is a six-time All-Star and is still playing at a high level at age 33. 

DeRozan was taken ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors back in the 2009 NBA Draft and has built his career into something very successful.

He has credited his time with the Trojans of helping his game and overall mindset grow into what it is today. His number 10 jersey is even retired at USC, which is a pretty awesome accomplishment for him.

DeRozan hasn’t won a NBA title in his career but he has done his fair share of winning in the league. With the Raptors, he made the playoffs for five years straight and even helped take the franchise to their first-ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance. It didn’t end how he or the organization would have liked but DeRozan knows what it takes to win in the NBA.

As the former Trojan enters his third year with the Bulls, he wants to get back to winning. Chicago got bounced in the first round during his first season and then were eliminated in the play-in tournament this past season. With this offseason continuing, DeRozan has a simple message for his younger teammates.

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DeRozan working out with the younger players and being that role model is awesome to see. He makes USC proud to have him as an alumni and fans still wish him the best. It would be cool if he would be able to come home to play for one of the teams in Southern California but so far, no shot. He will be a free agent after next season however and he has heavily been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers in the past.

Maybe the USC product will come home, and then Trojan fans can see him play as often as they’d like. Surely, he would welcome it as well as he is from Compton and continuously returns in the summertime.