DeMar DeRozan starts fresh with Sacramento Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – As DeMar DeRozan woke up on Tuesday morning with his first time for practice of the 2024-25 NBA season on the horizon, it finally hit him. The six-time NBA All-Star was truly a member of the Sacramento Kings.

“Waking up in a different [city], it really hit me on the drive here,” DeRozan told Andscape following the Kings’ practice Tuesday. “Everything was just different. The scenery leaving the house. The drive. The understanding that, damn, I’m trying to remember how to get to the locker room when I get to the arena.

“Everything was so new and so fresh, that I was just trying to take it in. And sometimes, that it good. That is a new feeling. The next couple of weeks everything is going to be new for me.”

DeRozan sent shock waves around the NBA when he agreed to a sign-and-trade July 6 that sent him to the Kings from the Chicago Bulls, forward Harrison Barnes from Sacramento to the San Antonio Spurs and guard Chris Duarte, two second-round picks and cash to the Bulls. DeRozan landed a three-year, $74 million contract in the move. The 16-year NBA veteran averaged 24 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 79 regular-season games with Chicago last season.

DeRozan is also a native of the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. By signing with the Kings, he is a 90-minute flight from his two daughters, mother and other family members and loved ones in Los Angeles. This is the first time that the former USC star has played west of Texas in his NBA career, which began in 2009.

“It means so much,” DeRozan said of living in California. “Even one of my daughters, she is asking every day when she can come up — even a day where she could just come up for a day, spend time with me and go back. Her knowing that gives her excitement. That makes me extremely happy.

“And I definitely look forward to moments where if they got something going on, if we got a day off, me being able to get home to see that and get back in the same day. So, I’m looking forward to that more so than anything.”

DeRozan was busy before the start of Kings training camp promoting his book, Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm, in the United States and Toronto.

DeRozan wrote about his public struggle with depression hoping that it could encourage those in need to seek help, including African American men, who are less likely to seek mental health treatment. The former Toronto Raptors forward’s book has already become a bestseller in Canada, according to the Toronto Star. DeRozan also recently spoke to the NBA rookie class and gave each member a signed copy.

“It definitely was a new feeling for me because I never experienced nothing like that,” DeRozan said of writing the book. “[I] Never expected anything like that. It was a first, but it was good because it even helped me with so much more that I realized I had to figure out and work on with myself going forward as a friend, as a father, as a leader. So, it was definitely something that I challenged myself with. But it was tough at first.”

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown asked DeRozan to talk about his “phenomenal” book before the first practice of the season. DeRozan spoke for about 10 minutes. Holding a copy of the book, Brown told the media after practice that every player on the Kings received a copy as well.

Brown said that mental health concerns were a real issue among African Americans. According to the McLean Hospital in 2024, about 25% of African Americans seek mental health compared to 40% of white Americans. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for Black men ages 15 to 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness in 2024.

“He spoke to the team about his thought process behind writing the book,” Brown said. “He also told the team why he did it while he was playing. It’s all about him and letting people know that everybody has struggled. Although they’re in NBA, they’re still human and they still go through the ups and downs of life just like you or anybody else. And it’s OK to be vulnerable when you’re going through [life] …

“That’s why the key words to me was ‘being vulnerable.’ In our [African American] community, you don’t cry, you don’t go see the doctor. And that’s the stigma. For him to open it and talk to our group today and to have it in a book, it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”

DeRozan has been a proven scorer and renowned closer. Brown told the media after practice that he was pleasantly surprised by his passing skills as well. Brown and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox were also impressed by DeRozan’s patience and efficiency when he was trying to score.

“He’s not just a scorer, he’s a basketball player,” Brown said. “I’m telling you guys, some of the passes he made [Tuesday], I didn’t think there were going to get there a couple of times. But he never panicked whenever he played. He played at his pace. He went quick when he wanted to go quick. He went slow when he wanted to go slow.

“He kept the defense off balance. And when someone was open, he made the right pass … To have the luxury of having another guy that knows how to play the game, that can pass, dribble and shoot — and more importantly is willing to pass — that is going to help us be a little more dynamic on the offensive side of the floor.”

Fox said, “He commands so much attention, especially when he has the ball. Even when he does command that attention, he still is able to get to his spots, still put the ball in the basket. And when three or four guys collapse, you get a lot of open shots.”

Along with DeRozan, the Kings have a talented roster with two-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis and Fox, a 2023 All-Star. The Kings also have a potential rising star in third-year forward Keegan Murray and proven veteran scoring guards Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk. The Kings snapped a 17-year playoff drought by making the playoffs in 2023 but failed to secure a return to the postseason during the NBA play-in tournament last season.

The Western Conference is loaded with potential contenders: the Dallas Mavericks, the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. DeRozan, however, says the Kings have the talent to make it to the Western Conference finals. The Kings haven’t been to the West finals since 2002.

“The passion, the drive from the coaching staff, from the players to the fan base to everything top to bottom,” DeRozan said. “Guys want to win. You’ve seen where they were two years ago. The talent that they was there and even last year before injuries. Anything is possible. And I think the way we worked [Tuesday], the confidence guys have and the way I approach this summer coming into this season, I got the utmost confidence in that.”

Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James, who turns 39 in December, enters this season as the league’s career scorer leader and as its oldest active player. DeRozan isn’t among the NBA’s oldest active players just yet at 35, but he is the oldest player on the Kings and only one of two players over 30 (Alex Len, 31).

DeRozan has played at least 74 games or more in each of the past three seasons. In his 15th NBA season, he also played a league-high 2,989 total minutes and 37.8 minutes per game. With words of wisdom from James to go with his offseason regimen, DeRozan hopes for another healthy season with heavy minutes in Sacramento.

“I have appreciation to still be doing what I’m doing at a high level,” DeRozan said. “I have pride and want to be special and break this age barrier thing where people keep saying I’m old and I’m slowing down. I lead the league in minutes [per game] last year and wanted to play more. For me, I just keep myself in great condition. I take care of my body. I get enough rest. I don’t do nothing but chill with my kids and hoop.

“It means the world to me to still be playing. I look up to guys that have played so long at a high level. I look at a guy like Bron [James]. It’s incredible what he is doing and how is he so well. He takes care of himself. I remember there was a night this summer where we were playing cards and he was getting worked on. It just shows you why he is playing so long. It’s incredible. So, just steal things like that because you want to have longevity and play at a high level to make other people under feel like if you take care of yourself, you can play as long as you want.”

DeRozan will be 38 years old at the end of his Kings contract. But will he play into his 40s? Well, that is where he drew the line.

“No,” DeRozan said with a smile.