DeMar DeRozan received a surprise welcome message upon his arrival at the Sacramento Kings. The franchise owner, Vivek Ranadivé, inaugurated his latest recruit to California with a reference from ‘Not Like Us’. This caught the eyes of the NBA fans while giving rise to an unforgettable exchange.
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Standing by DeRozan’s side, Ranadivé welcomed the newest Kings star with heartfelt words. In the process, however, he teased the 34-year-old publicly, stating, “So, I know DeMar that everybody wants you. Every team, every city, all the players. But I have got one thing to tell you. They’re nothing like us!”.
“They’re Nothing Like Us.”
– Vivek Ranadivé to DeMar DeRozan 😅
(h/t @BASKETBALLonX )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 8, 2024
DeRozan’s latest siding with Kendrick Lamar in his lasting beef with Drake paved the way for this statement. Despite being a close friend of the latter since his Toronto Raptors days, the NBA star prioritized his connection with his fellow Compton-born over everything. As a result, Deebo recently appeared on stage during Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ show on Amazon Prime to display his support.
His connection to the rapper and the city is set to strengthen further following his move to the Kings. The franchise is only a few hundred miles away from Compton, justifying his return to California.
Ranadivé undoubtedly took all of these factors into account while teasing DeRozan. Much to his delight, the latter embraced the comments sportingly, initiating a close bond between them. So, the fans can only hope for this relationship to strengthen over time to propel the team to success.
