Position: Guard/Forward
Birthday —— August 7, 1989
Age—— 33
Height/Weight —— 6’6″/220 Ibs.
Hometown —— Compton, California
High School —— Compton High School
College —— USC
NBA Experience —— 13 Years
Draft—— Round 1, Pick 9, 2009
Professional Career
Toronto Raptors— 2009-2018
Early Raptors Career – 2009-2013
On June 25, 2009, DeMar DeRozan got selected by the Raptors with the 9th pick in the NBA draft. DeMar was another one-and-done player because he wanted to support his family, especially his mother. In year two, DeRozan made a big jump from averaging 8.6 points to 17.2 and getting more minutes. That led to his most significant performance with 37 points against the Houston Rockets on December 31, 2010.
He would match that career-high two more times before the 2013-14 season. DeRozan, known as Deebo, was a dunk contestant in the 2011 Dunk Contest. He would get 3rd place, and the winner was Nate Robinson. Many Raptors fans didn’t know at the time that he would be a big part of the winning culture in Toronto in the years to come.
Raptors Winning Culture Begins – 2013-14 Season
The Toronto Raptors went from 34-48, last place in the Atlantic Division in 2012-13, to first place the next season at 48-34. Led by DeRozan and star Kyle Lowry, they managed to get the most wins in franchise history, with 48 wins. On January 30, 2014, DeRozan got selected for his first All-Star game appearance as a reserve. He would finish the All-Star game with 8 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 15 minutes.
DeRozan’s 2013-14 season got defined as a breakout season averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. In DeRozan’s first playoff game, he got 14 points on 3-13 shooting. e managed to get 30 points in game 2 to get his first playoff win. Toronto would eventually lose in 7 games to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.
In 2014-15, DeRozan had another great season, including getting Player of the week on April 17. DeRozan joined Chris Bosh and Kyle Lowry as the only players in Raptors history to receive the Player of the Week award. On April 24, DeRozan scored a playoff career-high 32 points, and 20 out of those points came from the 1st quarter in game 3 against the Washington Wizards. But the Raptors couldn’t get passed the 1st round.
Eastern Conference Finals Appearance – 2015-16 Season
On March 30, 2016, DeRozan helped the Raptors with 26 points in a win against the Atlanta Hawks to get their 50th win of the season. Toronto would end the 2015-16 season with a 56-26 record, which earned them the 2nd seed in the eastern conference. But, back again in the playoffs, DeRozan’s 30 points in game 7 against the 7th seed Indiana Pacers gave him his first postseason series win.
The Raptors would move on to face the Miami Heat in the second round. In game 7 against the Heat, DeRozan had 28 points in a win to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After DeRozan got 32 points to tie the series at 2-2. But LeBron James led the Cavaliers to two straight wins to advance to the 2016 NBA finals.
During the summer of 2016, DeRozan got a 5-year/139 million contract deal to return to the Raptors. DeRozan had another 40-point performance in a 109-81 win against the Detroit Pistons to open up the 2017-18 season. He finished with 11 games with above 40 points in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons combined. In both of those seasons, Toronto got eliminated in the second round. But, DeRozan made All-NBA 3rd in the 2016-17 season and All-NBA 2nd in 2017-18.
As a result of not getting past the Eastern Conference Finals, DeRozan became the “sacrificial lamb” and was sent to the San Antonio Spurs. However, DeRozan would finish his Raptor career averaging 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 675 games. Toronto went on to win the NBA Championship in the 2018-19 season.
San Antonio Spurs— 2018-2021
DeMar DeRozan got traded to the San Antonio Spurs, including Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green during the 2018 off season. DeRozan got brought in to be a veteran leader for a young Spurs team, including Dejounte Murray and Derrick White. He got 29 points in a 112-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in his Spurs debut.
DeRozan would lead the Spurs to one postseason appearance in his three seasons as a Spur. His only appearance in the playoffs was in his first season as a 7th seed in the 2019 playoffs. But they would lose in 7 games against the Denver Nuggets. DeRozan got 19 points, shooting 7-21 from the field in game 7 against the Nuggets. DeMar DeRozan finished his Spurs career averaging 21.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in 206 games.
Chicago Bulls– 2021-Present
On August 11, 2021, DeRozan became a Chicago Bull in a sign-and-deal. Chicago sent Thaddeus Young, Al-Farouq Aminu, a protected first-round draft pick, and two second-round draft picks for DeRozan. DeRozan got brought to Chicago to speed up the rebuild and become a playoff contender. In DeRozan Bull’s debut, he put up 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in a 94-88 win over the Detroit Pistons.
In February, DeRozan started getting MVP cheers when he scored 30+ points in 10 straight games. DeRozan was named a starter in the 2022 All-Star and managed to get 10 points and five assists. After the All-Star break, Chicago went 8-15 to finish the season with a 46-36 record and a matchup in the first round against the defeating champions, Milwaukee Bucks. DeRozan started the 2022 playoffs cold going 6-25, resulting in 18 points in game 1. However, he got his revenge in game 2 with 41 points. But the Bulls would lose the next 3 games to be eliminated. DeRozan earned All-NBA 2nd team.
Awards and Accolades
- 5× NBA All-Star (2014, 2016–2018, 2022)
- All-NBA Second Team (2018, 2022)
- All-NBA Third Team (2017)
- 4 NBA Player of the Month
- 14 NBA Player of the Week
- 1 Olympic Gold Medal (2016)
- 1 World Cup Gold Medal (2014)
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