Meet NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who has beef with Drake: the Sacramento Kings baller was a high school phenom, is loyal to his friends, and played for the Toronto Raptors for 9 years

The California native, who proved in high school that he’s a loyal friend, became close with the rapper during his 9 seasons in Toronto – but now, the two are taking public shots at each other.

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The California native, who proved in high school that he’s a loyal friend, became close with the rapper during his 9 seasons in Toronto – but now, the two are taking public shots at each other Each week seems to bring a new celebrity feud, but one A-lister in particular seems to be particularly good at starting beef. Canadian rapper Drake has managed to make enemies all across the industry, starting fiery lyrical battles with everyone from Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West to Megan Thee Stallion and Ludacris. Now, he’s taking his knack for stirring the pot to a new level with six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan.

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"DeMar DeRozan wears his Sacramento Kings warm-up kit at a game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on November 3. Photo: @sacramentokings/Instagram","url":"https://img.



i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/11/06/1537bdfa-99d1-4a07-a5ef-7c3dea9539f5_7390c88c.jpg"} DeMar DeRozan wears his Sacramento Kings warm-up kit at a game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on November 3.

Photo: @sacramentokings/Instagram A Toronto native, Drake is often spotted courtside at Scotiabank Arena, where DeRozan played for the Toronto Raptors for nine years before he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the 2018-2019 season. While playing for the Raptors, DeRozan struck up a friendship with the “Hotline Bling” rapper – but that seems to have come to a bitter end. The final nail in the relationship’s coffin appears to have been hammered in this weekend, amid comments Drake made as DeRozan took to the Scotiabank Arena court in a game between the Raptors and the Kings.

Advertisement So, who exactly is DeMar DeRozan and why does Drake have beef against him? DeMar DeRozan was a high school basketball phenom {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"DeMar DeRozan is from Compton in Los Angeles, California. Photo: @demar_derozan/Instagram","url":"https://img.

i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/11/06/4d4799a6-520b-48ec-bad8-f20c18096787_5c60a387.jpg"} DeMar DeRozan is from Compton in Los Angeles, California.

Photo: @demar_derozan/Instagram DeRozan had opponents quaking in their kicks long before he was drafted to the NBA. After a stellar four years playing varsity basketball for California’s Compton High School, DeRozan received several accolades from Rivals.com, who named him the best shooting guard in the US, California’s second-best prospect, and the third-best prospect in the US.

During his high school career, he also earned First Team Parade All-America and First Team Best in the West honours as a senior. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"DeMar DeRozan won numerous accolades while playing for Compton High School.

Photo: @demar_derozan/Instagram","url":"https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/11/06/6e436d26-cabd-471c-8aed-a04f9435cd07_7390c88c.

jpg"} DeMar DeRozan won numerous accolades while playing for Compton High School. Photo: @demar_derozan/Instagram After racking up so many distinctions, it’s no surprise that colleges across the country were keen to recognise DeRozan’s talents. He received scholarship offers from a line-up of prestigious basketball universities: UCLA, Washington, California, Florida State, Arizona State and USC.

He chose USC over UNC due to loyalty to his best friend {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"ImageObject","caption":"DeMar DeRozan chose to play college basketball at USC because they recruited his best friend. Photo: @USCTrojans/Facebook","url":"https://img.

i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/11/06/a39b1c25-75e0-456b-ba7d-75c0972156f9_6280da61.jpg"} DeMar DeRozan chose to play college basketball at USC because they recruited his best friend.

Photo: @USCTrojans/Facebook.