On this date 29 years ago, DeMar DeRozan was born in Compton, California.
Happy Birthday, @DeMar_DeRozan! pic.twitter.com/r8USxlgpio
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) August 7, 2018
The No. 9 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, DeRozan has since developed into one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, with four All-Star appearances and two All-NBA selections to his name. He currently holds career averages of 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game in the regular season and 21.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the playoffs.
DeRozan is coming off of the best season of his career, leading the Toronto Raptors to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with 23.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 52 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 1, doing so on an efficient 17-for-29 shooting from the field.
Following nine unforgettable seasons with the Raptors, DeRozan was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard this offseason. While he had mixed feelings about the move at the time, he should feel right at home in Gregg Popovich's system.
DeRozan leaves an unprecedented legacy behind him in Toronto, one that includes him being the franchise's all-time leading scorer.