DeMar DeRozan

Episode notes

(Photo: Harmony Books)

DeMar DeRozan is a basketball player for the Sacramento Kings. 

He grew up in Compton, California. DeRozan was a top prospect out of High School and went on to play at USC. He got drafted to the NBA in 2009 to the Toronto Raptors and played with them for 9 seasons. 

DeRozan also played for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. He’s a six time NBA All-Star and an Olympic gold medalist. 

DeRozan had a tough life growing up. He lost several family members and friends to gang violence. He had relatives coming in and out of jail. His mom had lupus. He’s carried that trauma with him for most of his life. 

In February of 2018, DeMar sent out a tweet that read, “This depression get the best of me…” 

It was one of the first times DeRozan publicly addressed his battle with depression. It also opened a door into something that wasn’t talked about much in professional sports – mental health. He received an outpour of support from his colleagues, friends and the public. 

DeRozan just released a memoir: Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm. He joins us to talk about some tough subjects covered in the book. Plus, what it was like to be named dropped in one of the hottest songs of summer – Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar.