It's no secret around the league that DeMar DeRozan has been through a lot in his life. DeRozan grew up in Compton, Los Angeles; a place notorious for gang-related violence and incidents. Despite how hard his life was, the Bulls star was able to push through and succeed in life, becoming an NBA All-Star.

In a sit-down with NBC Sports Chicago, DeRozan opened up on his experience growing up around gangs in Compton. He told this harrowing story he has about his childhood friend.

“At a young age, I lost one of my best friends to gang violence. I lost a lot of people before I even graduated high school. You’re talking about sitting next to somebody in class on a Monday and Monday night, that was the last time they’d ever be seen. Come back to school Tuesday and their stuff is still on their desk. Things like that consistently happened.”

DeRozan has been through a lot of stuff. He lost his dad to illness, and had to grow up in a place where crime and poverty were rampant. It's no wonder then that the Bulls star suffered from bouts of depression, something that DeRozan has been openly advocating about in recent years.

Despite his situation, DeMar DeRozan made the most of what he had and became a successful NBA player. He was selected in the lottery by the Toronto Raptors, and he built his career there as a deadly midrange scorer and slasher. When he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, he started working on other aspects of his game, and now he comes to the Bulls as a reliable all-around guy on offense who can create for himself and his teammates.