© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
DeMar DeRozan remains in awe to be playing against some of the best scorers in NBA history
DeMar DeRozan is playing in his 15th NBA season and is relishing everything that comes his way. After all, not everyone can say they’ve played and excelled for this long in the world’s most competitive basketball league.
One thing that stands out to DeRozan is the opportunity to compete against some of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He marvels at sharing the court with players like Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant, among the top 35 scorers of all time.
A special thing
Although Deebo showcased incredible athleticism in his lone NCAA season at USC, he was far from a sure thing coming into the NBA. However, the Toronto Raptors saw something special in him and selected DeRozan with the ninth overall pick in 2009. From then on, his work ethic and dedication to constantly improve have helped him become one of the most lethal scorers in the league.
As he continues climbing up the all-time scoring list (he’ll soon be 34th when he passes Elgin Baylor in the next few games), DeRozan shares his appreciation for playing alongside other legendary scorers.
“It's a special thing. Because when you sit back, I realize I played against some of the greatest scorers in this league. To still be playing and passing guys is beyond amazing. Steph, James (Harden), Russ (Westbrook), KD, we’re all in the top-35 scoring of all-time,” DeRozan said.
“It really doesn’t hit me fully until the offseason when I really look at it. And that don’t come from accident. It comes with hard work, sacrificing, lot of pain. So it’s definitely something that’s cool.”
40,000 points
Scoring over 23,000 points in the NBA is no mean feat and something Deebo takes great pride in. However, when discussing the 40,000-point mark of LeBron James, DeRozan quickly pointed out that the King is in a league of his own.
“I was telling somebody the other night when I passed 23,000, I went home and I realized this man has 40,000. Like, c’mon man. In my opinion, I don’t think anybody will ever break that. It’s the most incredible thing you can ever witness. Props to LeBron to be dominant for 21 years,” Deebo commented.
