DeMar DeRozan Bio
DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA draft. Nicknamed “Deebo,” DeRozan is a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Team member. He stands among the league’s most respected scorers, currently sitting sixth among active NBA players on the all-time scoring list.
Across more than 15 professional seasons, DeRozan has built a reputation as one of the most reliable mid-range shooters and clutch performers in the modern game. He has worn the uniforms of the Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls, and now the Sacramento Kings, while also representing the United States on the international stage.
Early Life and Background
DeMar DeRozan was born on August 7, 1989, in Compton, California, to Frank and Diane DeRozan. He grew up in a city with a deep basketball culture, and the sport quickly became a central part of his childhood. His mother was diagnosed with lupus when he was young, an experience that would later shape his advocacy work.
DeRozan attended Compton High School, where he played varsity basketball for all four years. As a freshman, he averaged 26.1 points and 8.4 rebounds, and he continued to post strong numbers through his sophomore and junior seasons. As a senior, he averaged 29.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, leading Compton High School to a 26–6 record, a second consecutive Moore League championship, and the CIF Division IAA Southern Section quarterfinals. His senior year brought the Moore League Most Valuable Player Award, California All-State honors, a spot on the 2008 McDonald’s All-American Team, and a win in the McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk Competition. He was also a first-team Parade All-American.
Ranked among the top recruits in the class of 2008, DeRozan was listed No. 3 nationally by Rivals.com and No. 6 by Scout.com. He also played in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden and the Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored a team-high 17 points.
Path to Basketball
In November 2007, DeRozan signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Southern California, choosing the Trojans over Arizona and North Carolina. He made an immediate impact in his lone college season, starting all 35 games for the Trojans. He scored in double figures 28 times, recorded four double-doubles, and averaged 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting .523 from the field.
DeRozan opened his college career with 21 points and seven rebounds in an exhibition win over Azusa Pacific at the Galen Center. He later posted 21 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals, then scored a career-high 22 points in the tournament final against Arizona State to earn Pac-10 Tournament MVP and First Team Pac-10 All-Freshman honors. In USC’s five postseason games, he averaged 19.8 points, finishing his freshman year with 485 points, third-most ever by a USC freshman.
On April 8, 2009, DeRozan announced he would enter the 2009 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility. He cited a desire to help care for his mother, who has lupus, as one of the reasons for leaving early. On June 25, 2009, he was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors.
DeMar DeRozan Career
Early Career (2009–2014)
DeRozan signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors on July 9, 2009. He finished as the runner-up in the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, losing the final to Nate Robinson by a narrow 51-to-49 percent margin, and returned as a replacement in 2011, finishing third. On December 31, 2010, he scored a then career-high 37 points against the Houston Rockets, a mark he would later match against the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls.
The 2013–14 season marked his true arrival. DeRozan averaged career highs of 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, leading Toronto to a 48–34 record and the third seed in the Eastern Conference. On January 30, 2014, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve, and on March 28, he scored 30 points against the Boston Celtics to help the Raptors clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2008. In the playoffs, he became the first Raptor ever to record back-to-back 30-point playoff games, though Toronto fell to the Brooklyn Nets in seven games.
Toronto Raptors Breakthrough (2009–2018)
DeRozan spent nine seasons with the Raptors and became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. On December 28, 2016, he passed Chris Bosh to claim the top spot on Toronto’s career scoring list with 10,290 points. He led the Raptors to five playoff appearances, including the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2015–16, where they pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to six games.
His 2016–17 season was one of the finest individual campaigns in franchise history. DeRozan finished with 2,020 points, a career high, and a 27.3 average, the second-highest in Raptors history. He recorded seven 40-point games and set a franchise record with 31 games of 30 or more points, surpassing Vince Carter’s mark. On April 27, 2017, he helped Toronto eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, and he was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the first time.
The 2017–18 season cemented his place among the league’s elite. On January 1, 2018, DeRozan scored a franchise-record 52 points against the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50 or more on New Year’s Day. He set another career high on December 21, 2017, with 45 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, including six made three-pointers. That year, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. After a controversial summer 2018 trade, he left Toronto as the franchise leader in games played, wins, total minutes, field goals made and attempted, and free throws made and attempted.
San Antonio Spurs Era (2018–2021)
On July 18, 2018, DeRozan was traded, along with Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick, to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. He made an immediate impact in San Antonio, opening his Spurs career with 28 points in a season-opening win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and posting 32 points and 14 assists in an overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers just days later. He scored at least 25 points in seven of the team’s first eight games, joining George Gervin as the only San Antonio players to do so.
On January 3, 2019, DeRozan recorded his first career triple-double with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in a win over his former Raptors squad. The Spurs made the playoffs in 2018–19 but lost to the Denver Nuggets in seven games. After the 2019–20 season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, San Antonio failed to qualify for the playoffs, ending a streak of postseason appearances for DeRozan. In his final season with the Spurs, he posted a career-high-tying 14 assists against the Boston Celtics and a 37-point, 10-assist performance against the Washington Wizards, though the team was eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Chicago Bulls Era (2021–2024)
On August 11, 2021, DeRozan signed with the Chicago Bulls on a three-year, $85 million deal in a sign-and-trade, agreeing to wear number 11 after the Bulls had retired number 10 for Bob Love. He opened his Bulls career with 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals in a win over the Detroit Pistons. On December 31, 2021, he buried a one-legged three at the buzzer to beat the Indiana Pacers, and the very next day, hit another game-winning three at the buzzer against the Washington Wizards, becoming the first player in NBA history with buzzer-beating game-winners on consecutive days.
That winter, DeRozan authored one of the most remarkable stretches in modern NBA history. He broke Michael Jordan’s franchise record with six straight 35-point games, tied Wilt Chamberlain’s mark of consecutive 35-point games while shooting 50 percent or better, and then set a new NBA record with seven and eventually eight such games. On March 31, 2022, he scored 27 of his season-high 50 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Bulls past the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished the regular season as the NBA’s leading fourth-quarter scorer with 612 points and was a serious MVP contender.
DeRozan earned his fifth and sixth All-Star selections as a Bull, in 2022 and 2023, and helped Chicago return to the playoffs in 2021–22, scoring a playoff career-high 41 points in a first-round win over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. On October 28, 2022, he became the 50th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points. His final Bulls season saw him finish as the runner-up for the Clutch Player of the Year award.
Sacramento Kings Era (2024–Present)
On July 8, 2024, DeRozan signed with the Sacramento Kings on a three-year, $74 million contract in a sign-and-trade that also involved the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls. He quickly gave Kings fans a taste of his scoring touch, and on February 10, 2025, he delivered a season-high 42 points, capped by a baseline floater with two seconds left in overtime, to beat the Dallas Mavericks 129–128.
On March 20, 2025, DeRozan scored 22 points against the Chicago Bulls to become the 27th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points. On April 11, 2025, he moved past Reggie Miller into 25th place on the league’s all-time scoring list. He finished his first season in Sacramento averaging 22.2 points per game, becoming one of only six players in NBA history to average at least 20 points per game in 12 or more consecutive seasons, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and LeBron James.
Driving Style and Strengths
DeMar DeRozan has built his game on elite mid-range scoring, footwork, and late-game composure. He excels at using the baseline, attacking closeouts, and creating space with his signature fadeaway jumper. He is widely considered one of the best mid-range shooters in NBA history and is particularly dangerous in clutch moments, with a long track record of buzzer-beating game-winners and high-volume fourth-quarter scoring.
Notable Events and Milestones
DeRozan’s career is filled with signature moments, from his 2014 All-Star selection to his franchise-record 52-point outburst on New Year’s Day 2018, and his unprecedented back-to-back buzzer-beaters on December 31, 2021, and January 1, 2022. He reached 20,000 career points in 2022 and 25,000 in 2025, joining one of the most exclusive clubs in league history.
DeMar DeRozan Career Wins
DeRozan has been one of the most consistent winners and scorers of his generation. He helped the Toronto Raptors reach five playoffs, including the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals in 2016, and later helped the Chicago Bulls return to the postseason in 2022.
Toronto Raptors Highlights
During his nine seasons in Toronto, DeRozan became the Raptors’ all-time leading scorer and led the team to five playoff runs. He won the franchise’s first playoff series in 2016, sweeping the Indiana Pacers in Game 7, and pushed the Cavaliers to six games in the conference finals. His 2016–17 season featured 31 games of 30 or more points, a franchise record, and he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond team success, DeRozan has earned individual recognition at every stop, including All-Star nods with the Raptors, Spurs, and Bulls, two All-NBA Second Team selections in 2018 and 2022, and a Sixth Man-type scoring role in San Antonio. He has also been a finalist for major awards, including the 2024 Clutch Player of the Year and a 2022 MVP candidate.
DeMar DeRozan Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
DeMar DeRozan is the son of Frank and Diane DeRozan. His late father, Frank DeRozan, passed away on February 19, 2021, after battling several longtime health issues. DeRozan has spoken about regularly flying to Los Angeles from any city he was playing in to be by his father’s side in his final months.
Personal Life
DeRozan is a father and has a daughter named Diar, who was born in 2013. Diar gained national attention in 2023 after repeatedly shrieking during free throws at the Bulls’ play-in tournament game against the Toronto Raptors, contributing to the Raptors’ poor free-throw shooting in Chicago’s 109–105 victory. DeRozan also suffers from depression and has been an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness. Along with Kevin Love, he helped push the NBA to require every team to employ at least one full-time licensed mental health professional. In 2024, he published his book, Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm, which details his experiences with depression and healing. His nickname “Deebo” comes from the character in the 1995 film Friday, earned in sixth grade after a memorable basketball game.
2025 Season Performance
In his first full season with the Sacramento Kings, DeMar DeRozan has remained a dependable scoring engine. He opened 2024–25 with the same mid-range mastery that has defined his career, providing the Kings with a reliable shot-maker in late-clock and late-game situations. He passed key career milestones throughout the year, including 25,000 career points and a move into the top 25 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
DeRozan punctuated his season with a 42-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks on February 10, 2025, sealing the win with a baseline floater at the buzzer in overtime. He has continued to mentor younger teammates and serve as a primary scoring option in the Kings’ offense.
By averaging 22.2 points per game in 2024–25, DeRozan joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points per game in 12 or more consecutive seasons, a testament to his remarkable durability and sustained excellence. Looking ahead, he remains a central figure in Sacramento’s plans as the franchise builds around his scoring, leadership, and championship experience.