DeMar DeRozan has been on four teams since leaving Toronto, but there is still one city he considers home. Toronto. DeRozan recently appeared on the Off The Roster podcast and was asked if he thinks the Raptors will eventually retire his No. 10 jersey. “I hope so,” DeRozan said.
His resume in Toronto certainly gives the Raptors plenty to consider. Toronto selected DeRozan ninth overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, and he spent the first nine seasons of his career with the franchise. He remains the Raptors’ all-time leader in games played with 675 and points with 13,296.
Those numbers only tell part of the story. DeRozan grew from a 19-year-old draft pick into a four-time All-Star in Toronto. He became one of the biggest stars the franchise had produced and helped establish the Raptors as a consistent playoff team.
Even after leaving, his connection to the city has remained. When asked if he still feels the love from Raptors fans whenever he returns, DeRozan didn’t hesitate. “This’ll always be home for me,” he said. “Nine years of my career. This was the foundation of me as a basketball player, as a human being. This was my first home. This was the first everything for me. Nothing will ever replace that.”
There was some speculation that DeRozan could return to Toronto this season, but he ultimately chose to join the Denver Nuggets. That doesn’t change how he views the city.
For now, DeRozan is more focused on being there for another former Raptor. Kyle Lowry recently announced his retirement and will have his No. 7 jersey retired by Toronto on Jan. 10, when the Raptors host the Philadelphia 76ers. “I most definitely will be here when Kyle’s jersey go up,” he said. “To be able to see people that I know personally, and now somebody I played with, jersey get retired, it means the most.”
DeRozan was also in attendance when Vince Carter became the first player in Raptors history to have his number retired. Now he gets to watch Lowry become the second. As for his own No. 10? “Whatever happens after that, we’ll see.”
Lowry was also recently asked if he believes DeRozan’s No. 10 should eventually be retired by Toronto. His answer was simple. “100 percent.” Whether that happens remains up to the Raptors.
