DeMar DeRozan believes he “had to be the sacrificial lamb” for Toronto to finally reach the NBA Finals.
DeRozan, who was traded for Kawhi Leonard last summer, says he laid the groundwork for the Raptors to achieve their greatest success.
DeMar confirmed that he’s rooting for Kyle Lowry and the rest of his former team to win it all.
Per Bleacher Report (viaESPN):
“Honestly, I don’t think I even said this — I probably said it to my own inner circle — but if it wasn’t for all the years and groundwork that I did before then, none of them things would’ve been possible,” DeRozan said. “Yes, I fought, I sacrificed, I pushed the limits to where I had to be the sacrificial lamb.
“You just have to sit back and understand, like, you know, you are the reason so many things was even possible.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that DeRozan has hard feelings. He is rooting for Kyle Lowry, whom he calls his “best friend,” to take home the league’s ultimate prize.
“I’m rooting for my best friend to do well, to accomplish something that we tried to do all the years, and he has the opportunity to do it,” DeRozan said. “All the guys on that team, they know I’m rooting for them.”
