Former Raptors Guard Picks a Side in Feud Between Drake & DeMar DeRozan

Former Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams says Drake was acting selfishly when he talked about DeMar DeRozan during a recent TV broadcast

Mar 13, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) gives instructions to guard Lou Williams (23) against the Miami Heat at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Heat 102-92. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images / Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

Lou Williams is siding with DeMar DeRozan.

The former Toronto Raptors sixth man wasn’t a fan of Drake’s comments during Saturday night’s broadcast in which Drake said he would take down a DeRozan’s banner if the Raptors organization ever decides to retire DeRozan’s number. The comments stemmed from the much-publicized rap feud between Drake and Californian rapper Kendrick Lamar in which DeRozan appears to have sided with Lamar.

“If I’m gonna speak candidly, I thought that was selfish of Drake,” Williams said on FanDuel TV’s studio show “Run it Back.”

Drake was in attendance to celebrate Vince Carter’s jersey being retired by the organization and was invited on the TSN broadcast. He called DeRozan a “goof” and said he would climb into the rafters to take down DeRozan’s jersey if it was ever retired by Toronto.

“Drake as well as the country of Canada, the city of Toronto, they know what DeMar DeRozan has contributed to the culture up there, and what he’s contributed to the Toronto Raptors, and to that community,” Williams continued. “It goes way bigger than his personal relationship with Drake, it goes way bigger than his personal relationship with Kendrick Lamar. So for Drake to say if you put up a banner and I’ll personally pull it down, it’s like, is it just about you, or is it about the Toronto Raptors?”

Drake was named the “global ambassador” for the Raptors organization in 2013. He and DeRozan previously considered each other brothers, as Drake wrote in an Instagram post following Toronto’s decision to trade DeRozan in 2018. Drake mentioned DeRozan in his song “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” noting how much Toronto loves DeRozan.

Their relationship changed publicly this past summer when DeRozan appeared in Lamar’s music video to “Not Like Us.” The song makes multiple allegations about Drake and includes one lyric in which Lamar says he’s glad DeRozan left Toronto because the city didn’t deserve him.

“Drake knows what DeMar DeRozan means to that city. So for him to say that, I thought it was kind of silly,” Williams said. “But all is fair in a rap beef, you know. When you get into the rap world and you guys pick a side and somebody feels a way, it’s OK for them to say that. … As long as nobody gets hurt, nobody crosses the line here. It’s all good. It’s all good banter.”

DeRozan responded to Drake’s comments by joking that Drake would have a lone way to climb if he wanted to take down DeRozan’s banner in the future.

“He was 100% serious too,” Chandler Parsons said speaking alongside Williams. “He was definitely not joking, but also he’s going to get overruled because DeMar DeRozan’s legacy and what he left and what he meant to Toronto is more than his beef with him and Drake and this whole Kendrick thing. It’s entertaining, it’s funny, but he’s going to get a banner."

Williams and DeRozan were teammates in Toronto for the 2014-15 season.