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DeMar DeRozan Reveals Heartbreaking Reality of Raptors Winning NBA Championship

Former Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan spoke on his former team winning without him.

Joey Linn

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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DeMar DeRozan joined the Sacramento Kings earlier this offseason in a sign and trade deal that ended his three-year run with the Chicago Bulls. Spending three seasons in Chicago after three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, DeRozan is now six years removed from his Toronto Raptors run.

Playing the first nine seasons of his NBA career in Toronto, DeRozan is their all-time leading scorer. One of the greatest players in franchise history, DeRozan was unable to lead the Raptors to a championship which was his ultimate goal.

Traded to the Spurs in 2018 in the Kawhi Leonard deal, DeRozan watched his former team win it all the first season he was gone. Revealing the heartbreaking reality of this during an episode of Lou Williams’ Underground Lounge podcast, DeRozan said it created this narrative that he was the problem.

“It hurt,” DeRozan said. “It hurt like a motherf——er… You know how it was for us internally and how hard we rode for that place. How much we put into it and how much that s—t used to affect us… That was the only place I knew… That next season, seeing them go all the way and win, now this false perception is painted like I was the issue the whole time.”

DeRozan said he was very happy for the guys he played with, but it was hard for him to deal with all of the dynamics at play after Toronto won in 2019.

DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan (10) sits on the bench before tip off against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Still a Raptors legend, DeRozan has a lot of support from that fanbase and city.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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