Kendrick Lamar’s NBA best friend DeMar DeRozan appears to be trying to play it safe after appearing in K. Dot and Mustard’s Drake diss “Not Like Us” video.
In case you missed it, the veteran mid-range sharpshooter has been traded to the Sacramento Kings after spending the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
According to NBA.com, the Kings acquired DeRozan in a three-year, $74 million sign-and-trade deal that included the transfer of Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Duar to the San Antonio Spurs. Specially transferred to the Chicago Bulls. While speaking to the media after his first press conference with the Kings, DeRozan discussed his appearance in Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” music video, when reporters asked him if Drake would now be Playing at Golden One Center in Sacramento is prohibited.
“I mean, love Drake,” DeRozan began. “You love Drake. We can always play him.
DeRozan continued, trying to do damage control, explaining that he and Kendrick Lamar have always been close, even if their relationship wasn’t as “public” as his feud with Drake is now.
“Kendrick is a friend of my family, they’ve been family for a long time,” he said. “For a while. We’re from the same city and grew up around the same neighborhood. So it’s always been there. It’s not always public, but it’s basically family.
View this post on Instagram
Prior to the historic showdown between Drizzy and K. Dort, DeRozan and Drake had a well-documented friendship that flourished during the Compton native’s time with the Toronto Raptors develop. As the team’s global ambassador, Drake often expresses his admiration for DeRozan both publicly and privately.
During the interview, DeRozan spoke fondly of Drake, calling him a “brother” and expressing gratitude for his unwavering support. After DeRozan was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018, he said that Drake was one of the people he trusted and revealed that he visited Deluxe’s home to discuss a trade and leaving Toronto. Drake also shared a lengthy farewell post on Instagram commemorating DeRozan’s tenure with the Raptors.
While there doesn’t seem to be any love lost for DeRozan, no one knows how Drake felt about his cameo in the film in a diss song that claimed he was a pedophile.
Watch the full interview clip above.
