Even Toronto Raptors legend DeMar DeRozan is clowning on Drake

Kendrick Lamar’s “The Pop Out: Ken and Friends” concert on Juneteenth was electric. Coming on the heels of his heavyweight rap beef with Drake, the Grammy-award winning artist treated the crowd at Inglewood’s Kia Forum to a spectacular show that served as both a victory lap and a West Coast family reunion.

Tyler the Creator and YG were among the artists to take the stage prior to Lamar rocking the mic as the headliner, running through a medley of hits that all not so coincidentally featured prior disses at Drake. The night then crescendoed with him performing his nuclear smash hit/diss “Not Like Us” live for the very first time. He didn’t simply perform it once or even twice. He performed the song FIVE times in a row and the Forum crowd went up for it every single time.

But do you know what was one of my favorite parts of this entire experience? You know what really drove home that NO ONE is on Drake’s side in this? It was looking up and seeing Toronto Raptors legend DeMar DeRozan joining in on the fun.

DeRozan, like Lamar, is a proud Compton native who rose to prominence in his craft in the early 2010’s. Him being present as the rapper brought several people on stage for a show of L.A. unity is not a surprise in the slightest. But it shouldn’t be lost on anyone that even DeRozan, one of the greatest Raptors of all time, joined in on the fun at Drake’s expense.

The All-NBA small forward’s tenure in Toronto spanned from 2009-2018, coinciding with Drake becoming the global ambassador for the Raptors during that period. Alongside Kyle Lowry, DeRozan helped establish the team as an Eastern Conference contender throughout the middle portion of the decade and you’d often see an enthusiastic Drake sitting court-side similar to New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee. The rapper became enmeshed with the franchise during this period, going as far as getting naming rights to the team’s training facility and even appearing on a cover of Slam Magazine with both of the team’s All-Star’s in 2016. Even after DeRozan was traded in 2018, Drake continued to show love by shouting him out in 2021’s “Lemon Pepper Freestyle”, a gesture the NBA star appreciated.

But Compton solidarity is Compton solidarity. Lamar referenced the former Raptors star in “Not Like Us” with the line “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” and DeRozan responded to the bat signal by pulling up to the monumental concert. He wasn’t the only NBA superstar at the Forum as fellow L.A. County natives Russell Westbrook and James Harden were also in attendance. LeBron James was also in the crowd singing along as well, which is even more hilarious when you remember that Drake went to LeBron’s The Shop a number of years back to vent about the Pusha T feud. It is staggering to see just how many people, from top celebs to just average people, have linked arms to watch this man’s downfall. A true moment of unity for everyone not related to Mr. Graham.

Anyway, DeRozan is bound to have his No. 10 jersey retired by the Raptors at some point and buddy, that’s going to be awkward. Well, awkward for Drake, who might not even be in attendance for that ceremony whenever it happens. I’d imagine the only thing that would be even more humiliating for Drake is if Vince Carter was somehow involved.

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Wait, you’re saying that Kendrick was wearing a pair of Nike Shox, a shoe made famous by Vince Carter?

Kendrick is a psycho man.