Almost all professional athletes envision playing for their hometown team at some point during their careers. And when that hometown is Los Angeles and the team is the Lakers, those feelings are often amplified. Or at least, that certainly seems to be the case for veteran San Antonio Spurs guard and 2021 unrestricted free agent DeMar DeRozan.
Born and raised in Southern California, DeRozan attended Compton High School before playing one season at USC in 2008-09. The stars have never aligned for DeRozan to return to Los Angeles throughout his career, with his best years in Toronto coinciding with the Lakers' rebuilding years.