The Toronto Raptors are World Champions, but it didn’t happen overnight. It took 24 years of pain to get to the moment of glory, and a lot of fallen soldiers along the way.
None of those former players had as much of an immediate impact on the eventual Championship team than DeMar DeRozan. DeMar gave his heart and soul to the organization, but in the end he was used as the major return piece to bring Kawhi Leonard to town.
Recently he opened up about the trade, labeling himself as the “sacrificial lamb”. It’s hard to argue with that, as the DeMar for Kawhi swap proved to be the difference maker.
Regardless, DeMar is still beloved in the city of Toronto. Even Jeremy Lin, who never played with DeRozan, can attest to that.
It’s a unique perspective, to notice someone’s impact despite never experiencing it directly. We’d have to agree with Lin, too. Walk around the city and count the DeRozan jerseys – it’s pretty incredible.
(H/T Twitter/Jeremy Lin)
