Photo: Sacramento Kings/YouTube

DeMar DeRozan continues to view Toronto as home despite spending the majority of his NBA career away from the city.

“This will always be home for me… This was the foundation of me as a basketball player, as a human being. This was my first home. This was the first everything for me. Nothing will ever replace that,” DeRozan said on the Off The Roster podcast.

DeRozan spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors after they selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He quickly developed into one of the franchise’s central figures and became a four-time All-Star during his time in Toronto.

The 2009-10 season marked the beginning of a 17-year NBA career that has seen DeRozan play for the Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings. He has averaged 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists over 1,264 regular-season games.

His best years in Toronto came during the Raptors’ rise into an Eastern Conference contender. DeRozan averaged 27.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 2016-17, earning All-NBA Third Team honors. The following season, he posted 23.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while earning All-NBA Second Team recognition.

DeRozan’s final season with Toronto came in 2017-18, when the Raptors finished with a franchise-best 59-23 record before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He was traded to the Spurs that summer as part of the deal that brought Kawhi Leonard to Toronto.

Although DeRozan has since established himself with three other franchises, his statistical production has remained strong. He averaged 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his first season with Sacramento in 2024-25 before recording 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 2025-26.

DeRozan was waived by the Kings on July 6, ending his two-season stint with Sacramento. He subsequently agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Denver Nuggets on September 8.