DeMar DeRozan Felt 'Irrelevant' With Spurs

DeMar DeRozan played three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs from 2018-21. Now, the five-time All-Star reveals how he felt during his tenure in Texas.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 29, 2022

DeMar DeRozan Felt 'Irrelevant' With Spurs /

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The San Antonio Spurs are entering their second season without All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who signed with the Chicago Bulls ahead of the 2021-22 NBA campaign.

DeRozan, the key player acquired in the infamous Kawhi Leonard trade back in 2018, raised San Antonio's ceiling during his three years with the Spurs, but never truly found his footing or the same level of success he had in nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

With his San Antonio days behind him, DeRozan sounded off on how he felt about his fit in San Antonio on a recent episode of the Old Man and the Three Podcast.

"I had great games," DeRozan said. "I developed in a lot of great ways as a basketball player, but in the same token, I just felt nonexistent for those years. It wasn't like we was on TV, we wasn't competing. There was so much to it that was a struggle. ... I just felt like I was irrelevant."

DeRozan took his talents to the Windy City to play for the Bulls, where he averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game in his first season in Chicago.

So it looks like the change of scenery is paying off so far for DeRozan. He was named an All-Star for the first time since he played for the Raptors, but the Bulls failed to make it out of the first round.

Considering the directions DeRozan and the Spurs are currently going, it is only becoming more clear that the marriage between the two was never a strong fit.

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Published Sep 29, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.