Jul 21, 2018
TSN.ca Staff
After initially posting online about his frustrations with the Raptors trading him to the Spurs earlier this week, DeMar DeRozan took to Instagram on Saturday to share his positive feelings about the city of Toronto and Canada as a whole.
"Words could never express what you’ve meant to me. I was just a 19 year old kid from Compton when we first met, but you took me in and embraced me as one of your own. I am so grateful for the Love and Passion that you’ve given me over the past 9 years. All I ever wanted to do was duplicate it 10x over just to show my appreciation. Thank you Toronto, thank you Canada. #Comp10 #ProveEm," DeRozan wrote in the post.
On Friday, Raptors president Masai Ujiri apologized to DeRozan for what said was "a gap in miscommunication” in regards to a recent DeRozan Instagram post, in which the 28-year-old guard said that he was told that he would not be traded.
Based on what he posted online on Friday, it appears that DeRozan wasn't very accepting of Ujiri’s apology.
Drafted 9th overall by the Raptors in the 2009 draft, DeRozan spent the last nine seasons with the Raptors. He helped the team earn post-season berths the past five seasons, which includes their 2016 run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
DeRozan, who holds several Raptors franchise records, was named an all-star four times (2014, 16-18) during his tenure, and was also named to the All-NBA team the past two seasons.
Over his nine seasons with the Raptors, DeRozan averaged 19.7 points per game and 4.1 rebounds.