Long before he became an NBA fixture in Toronto, San Antonio, Chicago, and Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan experienced basketball as an artifact on videotape. His father, Frank DeRozan, worked for the Compton Cable Company and utilized a dual-tape recording machine to copy decade-old games. DeRozan would sit on his living room floor surrounded by stacks of tapes, entranced by Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, and Alex English. Those tapes remain preserved, waiting for the day he transfers them to digital format to share with his four-year-old son, a sports fanatic who was born after Frank DeRozan passed away in 2021.
Now, at 37 years old and entering his 18th NBA season, DeRozan finds himself facing one of the final frontiers of his career. The six-time All-Star signed a one-year veteran minimum contract with the Denver Nuggets in August, joining a perennial playoff contender that has experienced gradual roster erosion over four consecutive offseasons. Following departures like Peyton Watson via sign-and-trade and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency, the Nuggets sought bench scoring and veteran leadership to preserve their championship-contender status following a season that saw them fail to win a playoff series for the first time since 2022.
For DeRozan, the move marks a profound shift. When he checks into the game, it will be his first regular-season appearance off the bench since April 14, 2010, during his rookie year. He has started 1,250 consecutive games, including the playoffs, over 16 years. Yet Nuggets coach David Adelman and the front office valued more than just his status as the league’s 18th-leading scorer. They sought his locker room presence, recognizing the loss of personalities like Hardaway and Bruce Brown.
Throughout his career, teammates have praised DeRozan’s steady demeanor and dedication. During the 2014-15 season in Toronto, DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Chuck Hayes, Lou Williams, and Amir Johnson formed a group chat called “Real Ones,” establishing a routine of taking a taxi after morning shootarounds to beat the team bus and secure the breakfast spread. Johnson fondly recalls raising newborn daughters around the same time as DeRozan, watching his teammate maintain a relentless work ethic despite sleep deprivation, earning him the moniker of the “corner dog” who always makes it happen.
Nikola Vucevic, who played with DeRozan at USC and later reunited with him in Chicago, noted how DeRozan’s quiet composure helped calm teammates during stressful moments. Ayo Dosunmu, a second-round pick in Chicago, recalled DeRozan driving two hours on short notice to attend his college jersey retirement ceremony during his rookie season. Beneath that stoic exterior, however, lies an active locker room comedian. Teammates describe how DeRozan often listens quietly to debates before dropping an outlandish opinion just to spark conversation, using humor as a form of empathy and an escape from the tensions of professional sports.
In Denver, that empathy may extend off the court as well. DeRozan has known Aaron Gordon since Gordon was about 10 years old, having grown up in California basketball circles alongside Gordon’s late brother, Drew Gordon, who died at 33 in a car crash. Having openly discussed his own struggles with depression in 2018, DeRozan hopes his presence and shared history can offer comfort to Gordon, who has battled physical injuries and grief following his brother’s passing.
With Lowry having retired this summer, DeRozan is now the last man standing from the original “Real Ones” chat, which still pokes fun at him about his longevity. While the bench role and the whispers about his age present a stark reminder of a ticking clock, DeRozan maintains his fierce competitive edge. He has not experienced a playoff series win since 2022 and still chases the elusive championship ring, but his primary motivation remains his deep love for the game and a refusal to short-change his remaining time on the court.
