DeMar DeRozan Still Plays Drake, But Kendrick Lamar Is "Family"

It appears as though Kendrick Lamar’s NBA bestie DeMar DeRozan is attempting to play it safe following his appearance in the video for K. Dot and Mustard’s Drake diss, “Not Like Us.”

In case you missed it the seasoned mid-range sharpshooter has been traded to the Sacramento Kings after spending the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls.

According to a report from NBA.com, the Kings acquired DeRozan on a three-year, $74 million sign-and-trade that includes moving Harrison Barnes to the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Duarte to the Chicago Bulls. In an interview with media following his first press conference with the Kings, DeRozan spoke about his appearance in Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” music video after the reporter asked him if Drake would now be banned from being played in Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center arena.

“I mean, love Drake,” DeRozan started off. “You love Drake. We always could play him.”

DeRozan continued, trying to do damage control as he explained he and Kendrick Lamar have always been close, even if their connection wasn’t as “publicized” as it is now amid his beef with Drake.

“Kendrick been a friend of mine’s family, them near family for a long time,” he said. “For a while. We, from the same city, grew up down near in the same neighborhood. So it’s always been there. It haven’t always been publicized, but that’s basically family.”

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Prior to the historic battle between Drizzy and K. Dot, DeRozan and Drake shared a well-documented friendship that flourished during the Compton native’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors. As the team’s global ambassador, Drake often expressed his admiration for DeRozan, both publicly and privately.

In interviews, DeRozan has spoken fondly of Drake, referring to him as a “brother” and expressing gratitude for his unwavering support. After DeRozan was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018, he said Drake was among the people he confided in, revealing he visited Drizzy’s house to talk the trade and leaving Toronto. Drake also shared a lengthy farewell post on Instagram commemorating DeRozan’s tenure to the Raptors.

While it appears there is no love lost on DeRozan’s end, there’s no telling how Drake feels about his cameo in the video for a diss track that alleges he is a pedophile.

Watch the full interview clip above.