Ahead of the Chicago Bulls‘ pivotal play-in matchup with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, Bulls star and former Raptor great DeMar DeRozan met with the media on the side of the court he is quite familiar with at Scotiabank Arena.
DeRozan, who spent the first nine years of his career in Toronto, spent some time reminiscing, while also looking ahead to a possible matchup with an old friend.
He also had some strong praise for Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby, who is expected to draw the assignment of guarding DeRozan.
“It’s incredible,” DeRozan of Anunoby’s defensive development. “Just his anticipation is his strength, his movement, his athleticism, his anticipation, just everything come with it. That makes him an elite perimeter defender… And it definitely started for me kicking his a– in practice every single day.”
But that’s not the only thing the six-time all-star remembers about his time in Toronto, as he credits the city with not only how he developed on the floor, but also off it.
“I was a kid when I came. I literally was a kid,” DeRozan explained. “I didn’t know a damn thing about nothing, you know? And, you know, my whole understanding of being an adult started here. Of being a father, understanding how to be a professional basketball player, adapting to people, you know, being accepting.”
And because of the connection and memories he created, he still feels a bond with the city every time he returns.
“It’s always special coming back,” he said.
The first-round selection of the Raptors back in the 2009 NBA Draft led Toronto to the playoffs in five straight seasons from 2013-14 to 2017-18. Those teams had a number of heart-breaking losses, but he still treasures some of the memories, specifically one from 2016.
Toronto had advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for a date with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the very team that would go on to win the NBA Championship that season. DeRozan and company pushed the Cavaliers to six games, and he still remembers the love the fans showed after the loss.
“The reception, the standing ovation,” said DeRozan. “The love that we received with our fans just standing by us. That’s one memory that I took with me.”
But DeRozan is now a member of the 10th-seeded Bulls and is focused on beating his old team in a sudden-death game to set up a matchup with the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot on Friday.
Whether it is the DeRozan and the Bulls or the Raptors who square off with the Heat, the storylines will be plentiful due to a very familiar face for both DeRozan and Raptors fans.
Lowry and the Heat lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night and will await the winner of the Bulls and Raptors clash for a sudden-death game Friday in Miami
When asked about the possibility of facing off against his old Raptors teammate and current friend, one game after facing the team that drafted him in a do-or-die format, DeRozan seemed to think he hit the jackpot.
“I might play the lottery,” he joked. “It’s crazy just how it works. But that’s the beauty of just basketball.”