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DeMar DeRozan dumps on Drake, shares love for Toronto: 'That’s home, man'

Breadcrumb Trail LinksMusicBasketballNBAToronto Raptors'Every true fan and every person that knows me there knows I represented that place more than anybody' Get the latest from Mark Daniell straight to your inbox Sign Up Published Oct 09, 2025  •  Last updated 4 minutes ago  •  4 minute readDrake shares a laugh with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan after the Toronto Raptors beat Philadelphia 76ers in Toronto. on April 12, 2016. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto SunArticle contentAdvertisement 2THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsArticle contentThe ongoing war of words between former Toronto Raptors superstar DeMar DeRozan and rapper Drake isn’t ending anytime soon.Article contentArticle contentAhead of a pre-season tilt between the Raptors and DeRozan’s Sacramento Kings this week, Toronto’s all-time leading point-scorer was quizzed on his former team.“That’s home, man,” DeRozan, 36, said (per The Sacramento Bee). “That’s where my whole career started.”DeRozan spent nine seasons in Toronto and helped lead the basketball club during five playoff runs. But after continuous futility in the postseason, the Raptors dealt the six-time All-Star to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 as part of a trade package for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.Gone seven years from the team that drafted him in 2009, DeRozan still has fond memories of his time in the city.Advertisement 3Article content“That’s where I became the player I am today, so the Raptors organization is definitely always going to have a special place regardless. Now, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now, nothing that can ever replace that feeling I had those nine years there, so it’s always cool to see familiar faces that’s still there and going against them,” DeRozan said Wednesday.During DeRozan’s career in Toronto, he was often seen embracing and laughing postgame with Drake, who is the Raptors’ global ambassador. After he was dealt away, Drake consoled DeRozan. They even posed together, alongside former Raptor Kyle Lowry, on the cover of Slam back in 2016.“Yeah, day it came out, I went to Drake’s house,” DeRozan said in a 2018 interview with ESPN‘s Chris Haynes. “Me and him sat and talked for a couple of hours. Not even on some hoops stuff. Just to hear the words that come from him being the person that he is in this world, especially in Toronto. What I meant to this city. It was what I needed.”Your Midday SunYour noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArticle contentAdvertisement 4Article content“No matter what, when it comes to him, he’ll forever have a friend in me and loyalty out of me because he cared,” DeRozan said of Drake in 2021. “He was there for me when everything was kind of going crazy.” DeMar DeRozan hugs Drake in Toronto in November 2016. Photo by Craig Robertson /Toronto SunAnatomy of a feudThe friendship came to a grinding halt in the summer of 2024 when DeRozan appeared onstage as rapper Kendrick Lamar performed Not Like Us — a diss number he wrote aimed at Drake during their months-long rap battle.DeRozan, who also appeared in the music video for the track, maintained that he was still friends with Drake, telling The Sacramento Bee: “Drake’s still my man, still my man, none of it changed.”But when the Kings were in town last November, on a night the Raptors had circled to honour former star Vince Carter, Drake said it was “unfortunate we’re playing this goof tonight,” referring to DeRozan.Advertisement 5Article contentHe also said that if the Raptors ever retire DeRozan’s No. 10 jersey, he’ll rip it down.“If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself,” he seethed during an on-air interview.Following the game, which the Raps won 131-128, DeRozan heard about the five-time Grammy winner’s comments. “He’s going to have a long way to climb,” he swiped. “Tell him good luck.”Eagle-eyed fans caught Drake badmouthing the Compton-raised baller throughout the evening. When the three-time All-NBA Team member missed a chance to tie the game at the end, the Hotline Bling star could be seen from his courtside seats waving bye-bye.After the Kings lost, Drake appeared to slag DeRozan further as he was making his way off the court, calling his one-time pal a “p****.”Advertisement 6Article contentAdvertisement 7Article contentThe hatchet doesn’t stay buriedDeRozan hasn’t had much more to say about the fallout, but Drake has continued to taunt his former friend.At a concert in Australia back in February, Drizzy tossed DeRozan’s Raptors No. 10 jersey off the stage in disgust.In a leaked song last month, Drake took aim at DeRozan again.“When you was part of the team we used to be planning our Mexico trips in the spring / we must’ve been dealing in the spur of the moment cause why (Kawhi) did we think you could get us a ring,” Drake raps on National Treasure, a not-so-subtle jab at DeRozan’s playoff failures.“They bragging about how you went home, the f*** are they on? We threw him away, Pop sent us a real one from Diego and next thing you know we was doing parades,” Drake continues on the track referring to former Raptors president Masai Ujiri making the trade for Leonard.Advertisement 8Article contentDrake seemingly takes shots at DeMar DeRozan in recently leaked song:“When you was part of the team we used to be planning our Mexico trips in the spring, we must’ve been dealing in the spur of the moment cause why (Kawhi) did we think you could get us a ring.” pic.twitter.com/ZRkqVtbQ0q— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 14, 2025Advertisement 9Article contentTaking the high roadThe leaked snippet didn’t catch DeRozan by surprise. “I knew about it a year ago, so it ain’t nothing new,” said DeRozan, who scored a Raptors franchise record 13,296 points during his tenure.But he’ll always have fond memories of his time in Toronto and Raptors fans.“What I did there, I put my life on the line every single moment I stepped on the court,” he said. “Nothing or nobody could ever take that away. I don’t get caught up in shenanigans or all the bull crap that comes with it. At the end of the day, I hoop. I go out there. Every true fan and every person that knows me there knows I represented that place more than anybody that ever came through there.”mdaniell@postmedia.comRead More Drake vs. DeMar DeRozan: How a longtime friendship ended with 'p****' taunt at a Raptors game Drake bids heartfelt goodbye to Masai Ujiri after Raptors fire team president Drake jokes about being banned from Raptors broadcasts: 'I was born to commentate' Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.Article contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation

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