DeMar DeRozan gives his shoes to a Raptors fan in a move that’s all class
DeMar DeRozan gives a pair of shoes and takes a picture after an emotional break-up with the Toronto Raptors in a move that shows he’s all class.
Despite recently being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster, DeMar DeRozan seemingly still wants Toronto fans to know he loves them.
He took time to not only greet and take a picture with a brave fan wearing his old Raptors thread but even gave the young man the Kobe kicks he wore for his game in The Drew League, where the Los Angeles native plays during the offseason.
.@DeMar_DeRozan gives a fan at the @DrewLeague his game-worn Kobe A.D. Mids after today’s game. #thedrew pic.twitter.com/u4ZwN66hbX
— Drew Ruiz (@DrewRuiz90) July 23, 2018
We all know about how much DeRozan loved his time as a Raptor. He signed a five-year, max extension with the team back in 2016 to prove it, and his heartfelt goodbye to Raptor fans after the trade showed that he appreciated everyone who cheered him on for the last nine seasons. He gave his heart to the city and realizes it’s not the fans fault he was traded.
The video also proves the obvious, that Raptors fans love him back. It showed that whether or not Raptor fans are happy about getting Kawhi Leonard, they will miss their homegrown superstar.
DeRozan averaged almost 20 points per game over his nine years in Toronto and led the Raptors to the number one overall seed in the Eastern Conference this season, but the team felt a change was necessary to reach the next level. They felt like trading for Kawhi was their chance to get to the finals, and I’m sure the Raptors went back and forth for days before eventually deciding to deal DeRozan.
One thing is for certain, you can expect to hear a whole lot of cheers for the wrong team when DeMar and the San Antonio Spurs visit Canada, and you might even see one of Gregg Popovich’s players show some emotion when DeRozan hears those cheers.