"They're nothing like us": DeMar DeRozan receives Kendrick Lamar-inspired welcome message from Kings owner
The Sacramento Kings acquired six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan this week to bolster an already talented roster. Sacramento fans were thrilled to bring in one of the league's elite players and so was Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, who has owned the team since 2013, as he welcomed the star with a Kendrick Lamar-inspired welcome message.
Ranadive tweeted on Monday alongside the guard/forward. After signing DeRozan to a lucrative new deal, he borrowed some words from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musician to express his excitement.
"Everybody wants you. Every team, every city, all the players. But I got one thing to tell you. They're nothing like us," said Ranadive.
The comment left the former Chicago Bulls player in stitches, as he was clearly not expecting the reference from Kendrick Lamar's "not like us" track.
NBA star DeMar DeRozan and rapper Kendrick Lamar have a close relationship. The former University of Southern California player and Lamar are both from Compton, California.
DeRozan also appeared in Lamar's recent diss track, which was aimed at Canadian rapper Drake. In the video, DeRozan is seen kneeling while Lamar says:
"I'm glad DeRoz' came home, y'all didn't deserve him neither."
The lyric was a reference to DeRozan's playing days with the Toronto Raptors, Drake's hometown team.
It was not the first time DeRozan was greeted with "not like us" lyrics. During Saturday's game against Team China at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, he was introduced to a rambunctious crowd with the same track playing in the background.
Kings hoping DeMar DeRozan can make them competitive again
Landing DeMar DeRozan to a three-year, $74 million sign-and-trade deal was a major coup for the Sacramento Kings this offseason.
The vertatile six-six shooter was named to the All-Star Game on six occasions since making his NBA debut in 2009. He has also been named to the All-NBA team on three occasions. Last season, DeRozan averaged 24 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds and and shot 48 percent for the Chicago Bulls.
At 34, DeRozan joins his fourth different NBA organization, and the Kings will be looking to him to make a major impact. The franchise has reached the playoffs just once since 2006, which was a first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors 2023.
Ranadive will hope that DeRozan can turn the franchise's fortunes around after a difficult two decades.