"Kawhi might get a banner" - DJ Akademiks addresses Drake beefing with DeMar DeRozan during Vince Carter's jersey retirement night
Prominent internet personality DJ Akademiks has addressed the issue between DeMar DeRozan and Drake. The NBA star and rapper have had some problems since DeRozan made an appearance in one of rapper Kendrick Lamar's music videos amid the Lamar-Drake feud.
During one of his segments in his Twitch livestream, which was then reposted on X on Saturday, DJ Akademiks explained to his audience what took place between DeRozan and Drake. The two stars crossed paths once again when the Sacramento Kings took on the Toronto Raptors during Vince Carter's jersey retirement night. Throughout the game, Drake kept heckling at DeRozan.
When the rapper was then invited to the broadcast team for a short segment, one of the announcers asked what he thought about DeMar's jersey getting retired in Toronto.
"If you ever put a DeRozan banner up ill go up there and pull it down myself," Drake answered.
Then come the post-game press conference, the media made DeMar DeRozan aware of Drake's comments and asked what his thoughts were regarding the matter.
"He's going to have a long way to climb to take it down. Tell him good luck," DeRozan responded.
While watching the video of DeRozan's response, DJ Akademiks then couldn't help but wonder if the Toronto Raptors will ever retire his jersey. The internet personality thought that DeMar didn't deserve his banner getting hanged on the rafters.
"I don't think [DeMar DeRozan] is getting a banner," DJ Akademiks said. "Is he getting a banner? Why would he get a banner? Kawhi [Leonard] might get a banner. Kawhi brought a ring there."
Looking back at DeMar DeRozan's NBA career with the Raptors
DeMar DeRozan started his career with the Toronto Raptors when the organization drafted him as the ninth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Since that time, DeRozan went on to play nine seasons with the Raptors before moving to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2018-19 season.
Looking back at his time in Toronto, DeRozan was one of the main guys carrying the team next to his former duo, Kyle Lowry. During their time playing together, the Raptors organization built a team around them. Being bestowed with the responsibility of being the number one option of the team, DeRozan was able to notch four All-Star appearances.
DeMar DeRozan's best year was in the 2016-17 season when he averaged 27.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He finished 11th in the regular season MVP race and was named to the third All-NBA team. However, despite the eliteness he brought to his team, DeRozan was never able to win a championship.
Nevertheless, there's a huge possibility that the Toronto Raptors could one day retire DeRozan's jersey despite being ringless. Vince Carter, who spent seven years with the Raptors and never won a ring, had his jersey retired.