The face of the franchise from the North side is heading south to star in his hometown, as an all-star.
Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, a native of Compton, was voted into next month's NBA all star game in Los Angeles. DeRozan was voted a starting all-star for a second straight year, marking his 4th all-star appearance overall.
Joining DeRozan as a starter are LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving and Joel Embiid from the East, as well as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins from the West. The full teams will be revealed next Thursday.
DeRozan has accumulated some memorable all-star moments over the years, most notably acting as an unofficial co-host (with teammate Kyle Lowry) of the 2016 event in Toronto, but you get the feeling that this one will stand above the rest.
Needless to say, DeRozan is looking forward to wearing that uniform and playing in front of friends and family at Staples Center on Feb. 18. He is hopeful that his father will be able to be among them.
“That would be everything,” said DeRozan. His father, Frank, has been in poor health, battling kidney disease. “I want my family to always experience the things they don’t get to see every single day. I do this every day. This is my job. When something like that comes amongst your job you want to be able to experience it with your family. I really hope so.”
DeRozan finished second among Eastern Conference guards in all three facets of voting. He got just under a million votes from fans, was selected as a starter by 89 of 99 voters on the media panel and also got the nod from his peers, the NBA’s players.
with files from Josh Lewenberg /TSN.ca