"Kobe playing Jordan 1-on-1" - DeMar DeRozan still considers Drake a close friend despite taking Kendrick Lamar's side in beef

During DeMar DeRozan's time with the Toronto Raptors, the NBA star became friends with popular artist Drake, who was frequently courtside at games. Eventually, the Raptors honored the artist by naming him as a franchise ambassador, while DeRozan wound up being traded to the Spurs in a blockbuster deal for Kawhi Leonard.

Recently, DeRozan found himself in the middle of Drake's feud with Kendrick Lamar. The Compton rapper threw in a line about DeRozan in one of his diss tracks aimed at Drake, saying that he was glad the California native left Toronto and returned to play in the US, saying that Raptors fans don't deserve him.

While some fans initially thought that Lamar, who called DeRozan "DeRoz" in the song, was referencing Derrick Rose, the forward then appeared in Lamar's music video. In addition, he was also notably present onstage at Lamar's pop-up show in LA, where he danced alongside Russell Westbrook.

Although the six-time All-Star is from Compton, given that DeMar DeRozan had been friends with Drake, many were surprised that he picked a side in the beef. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee, DeRozan opened up about the situation:

"Drake’s still my man, still my man, none of it changed. It’s so easy to get overlooked and look at it for what it looks like, but at the end of the day it’s music, entertainment. Two of the biggest rappers in the world went at it from a competitive standpoint and they battled it out.

"That’s what you want to see as a fan: Kobe playing Jordan 1-on-1 and see who wins, see the trash talking, and whoever wins out of that, you’re still going to have the debate, so that’s all that is.”

"That's basically family" - DeMar DeRozan opens up on longstanding friendship with Kendrick Lamar

While many fans were surprised to see DeMar DeRozan onstage with Kendrick Lamar at his LA show, the pair have been friends for quite some time. Growing up in Compton, DeRozan and Lamar grew up together, attending high schools just a few miles apart.

Back in 2021, in an interview with NBC Sports, DeRozan explained that Compton is a small city where there's a lot of mutual support among those trying to make a name for themselves.

While their friendship hasn't been as publicized as DeRozan's friendship with Drake, given that Lamar isn't an ambassador for either of LA's NBA teams, DeRozan recently explained in an interview with Fox40 that he and Lamar are like family.

In addition to discussing his friendship with Lamar, DeMar DeRozan also made it clear that he still has love for Drake, and will continue to play his songs at Sacramento's Golden 1 Center:

"Love Drake, always can play. Kendrick's been a friend of mine, family. Damn near family, for a long time, for a while. We're from the same city, we're up down there in the same neighborhood. It's always been there. It hasn't always been publicized, but that's basically family."

Although at the time Lamar released Not Like Us, where he name-dropped the NBA star, DeRozan was still a member of the Chicago Bulls, this offseason he signed with the Sacramento Kings.

Although Sacramento is considered northern California as opposed to LA, where DeMar DeRozan grew up in SoCal (Southern California), his return to play in his home state could result in Lamar making appearances at Kings games this season.