Former Trojan DeMar DeRozan Refuses UCLA Gift From Zach LaVine
You don't get to choose what NBA team you land with (at least when you're first drafted), but you definitely get to choose where you go to college, and Chicago Bulls star small forward DeMar DeRozan (who did choose to join Chicago as a free agent in a sign-and-trade circa 2021) chose wisely, deciding to stay home and attend USC.
However, you can't say the same for his Bulls teammate and fellow All-Star wing Zach LaVine, who decided to play for UCLA.
These two All-Star guards have been teammates for the past three seasons; however, they haven't forgotten where they come from. The Chicago Bulls media team posted a video of LaVine passing out some UCLA gear to his teammates, and DeRozan politely declined.
It's all playful banter between these two All-Stars who attended each other's rival schools.
Coming out of high school, DeMar was a five-star recruit and the number six ranked player in the class of 2008. He chose USC over the likes of North Carolina.
DeMar was one and done as a Trojan, but he was spectacular in his time there. He started in all 35 games, scoring 13.9 points per game on 52.3% shooting, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He scored in double figures 28 times and posted four double-doubles.
He announced his decision for the NBA draft a couple of months after his freshman season and has panned out an excellent career for himself.
Once a Trojan, always a Trojan for DeMar. We're glad he didn't give in the kind gesture.
