DeMar Darnell DeRozan is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors
of the National Basketball Association.
He played college basketball for USC and was selected ninth overall by the Raptors in the
2009 NBA draft.
In 2016, he was named an NBA All-Star for the second time in three years.
DeRozan attended Compton High School and was ranked as one of the top college recruits
in the nation from the class of 2008.
He was ranked #3 in the nation by Rivals.com and #6 by Scout.com.
He played on the varsity basketball team for all four years of high school.
As a freshman, he averaged 26.1 points and 8.4 rebounds.
During his sophomore year, he averaged 22.6 points and 8.4 rebounds, while as a junior
he averaged 22.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.2 steals.
As a senior averaging 29.2 ppg and 7.9 rpg, DeRozan led Compton High School to a 26-6
record, a second consecutive Moore League championship and the CIF Division IAA Southern
Section quarter-finals.
For his efforts he was awarded the Moore League Most Valuable Player Award and named to the
California All-State team.
DeRozan was a member of the 2008 McDonald's All-American Team, and also won the 2008 McDonald's
All-American Slam Dunk Competition.
He was also invited to play in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden and
the Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored a team-high 17 points.
DeRozan's achievements on the court in his senior year saw him earn first-team Parade
All-American honors and First Team Best in the West honors.
In November 2007, DeRozan signed a letter of intent to play basketball at USC.
He chose USC over Arizona State and North Carolina, deciding to join his friend, musician-actor-basketball
player Romeo Miller, to play for the Trojans.
In his first game for the Trojans, DeRozan scored a team-high 21 points with seven rebounds
in an exhibition game against Azusa Pacific, an 85–64 victory at the Galen Center.
DeRozan had 14 points in his first career regular season game in a win over UC Irvine.
He scored 21 points along with a career-high 13 rebounds against UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament
semifinals, before scoring a career-high 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting to lead his team
to a 61-49 win over Arizona State in the Pac-10 Tournament final.
His efforts in the tournament saw him earn First Team Pac-10 All-Freshman honors in addition
to being named Pac-10 Tournament MVP.
DeRozan started all 35 season games for the Trojans, scoring in double figures 28 times
and posting four double-doubles.
He ranked third on team in points, second in rebounds, third in assists, and second
in field-goal percentage.
DeRozan followed his regular-season efforts by averaging 19.8 points in USC's five postseason
games.
His 485 points ranks third all-time and his 201 rebounds is fourth all-time for a USC
freshman.
On April 8, 2009, DeRozan announced his decision to enter the 2009 NBA draft and forgo his
final three years of eligibility at USC.
On June 25, 2009, he was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 draft.
He stated that part of the reason he left for the NBA after only one year at USC was
to help take better care of his mother, who suffers from lupus.
On July 9, 2009, DeRozan signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors.
As the fourth contestant in the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition, DeRozan lost in the
final round against three-time champion Nate Robinson.
The final percentage was 51% to 49%.
DeRozan was selected to compete for the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition as a replacement
for injured guard Brandon Jennings.
He finished in third place.
On December 31, 2010, DeRozan scored a then career-high 37 points against the Houston
Rockets.
He matched that career-high two more times against the Utah Jazz on November 12, 2012
and against the Chicago Bulls on November 15, 2013.
On January 22, 2014, DeRozan scored a then career-high 40 points against the Dallas Mavericks,
shooting 15-of-22 from the field.
On January 30, DeRozan was selected for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve guard
for the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
He finished the game with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 15 minutes.
On February 1, he recorded a 36 points and a career-high 12 assists in a loss to the
Portland Trail Blazers.
On March 28, he led the Raptors to a playoff berth for the first time since 2008, with
a victory over the Boston Celtics.
He scored 30 points in the win, along with 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
On April 13, he scored 30 points against the Detroit Pistons to lead the Raptors to tie
a franchise record of 47 wins.