The Toronto Raptors have been on a downward trajectory ever since Kawhi Leonard left the franchise in 2019 just weeks after winning it its first NBA championship in that year's NBA Finals. In the years since Leonard's departure, the Raptors have made it back to the playoffs multiple times but haven't reached anywhere near the championship heights they attained when he suited up for them, serving as a reminder of the best player in franchise history's greatness.
Of course, the Raptors acquired Leonard via a bold trade with the San Antonio Spurs, the centerpiece of which was DeMar DeRozan, who had become a local legend in the city during his tenure with the franchise but hadn't quite been able to get the team over the hump.
Recently, DeRozan opened up about his emotions when the Raptors won the championship without him, and why he couldn't bring himself to watch.
“It was the craziest like for two years in a row every time I went back and played in Toronto they gave me a f—-ing tribute video, and it was like yo this s–t is like you don't realize how much you do for a place until you go back, so that there f—-ed me up,” said DeRozan, via The 25 10 show on YouTube. “So to leave and go in the playoffs and you know they win it it was like, I couldn't watch it, I couldn't watch it bro. I found every excuse to be gone you know what I mean like because like it was it was driving me crazy.”
DeRozan however did feel the love from both his ex teammates and the city during the team's celebration.
“One thing I did appreciate when they won it, every single guy that I played with called me, like they FaceTimed me and told me,” said DeRozan. “So that happened and then they had the parade, I remember people were holding up signs that said we did this for DeMar.”
A shaky situation
DeRozan became synonymous with the Raptors organization during his run with the franchise that spanned the 2010s. Although previous star players like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady had played for the franchise prior, DeRozan seemed to be the only elite player who truly embraced the underdog mentality that the city adopted when it became an expansion franchise.
However, DeRozan and teammate Kyle Lowry did have several notorious playoff flameouts during their time with the Raptors, including being swept as the higher seed in 2015 vs the Washington Wizards and getting swept in back to back years by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 and 2018, the second instance of which they had home court advantage and had won 59 games.
Still, DeRozan undoubtedly established a winning culture and the framework that allowed for Leonard to arrive and finally help the franchise–with a great deal of injury luck, it should be noted–break through and win their first ever championship.
Needless to say, DeRozan's contributions to the franchise won't soon be forgotten.
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