Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan recently debuted his new podcast, ‘Dinner with Demar’. For the pilot episode, he had a special guest, Draymond Green, the star forward of the Golden State Warriors, on his show. Both Draymond and DeRozan come from similar backgrounds, as they had to face the reality of financial hardships from a young age. The Bulls forward revealed details about his struggles and what has kept him to the ground even with all the fame.
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During the early part of the episode, DeRozan revealed a chilling story about his financial hardships growing up in Compton. Talking about the same, DeRozan said,
“At the end of the day, I am hoping the water is on for me to take a shower tonight…I used to wear two pairs of drawers to this day. Because when I was young, I needed a clean pair of drawers, just in case I was at my cousin’s house and was able to take a shower…”
The Compton born detailed his struggles, “No matter if I score 30 points or whatever, I got two pair of underwear on cause I am going to take the one on top and those are going to be my clean ones if I take a shower over here…that’s the shit that kept me humble and kept me pushing.”
Draymond, who was visibly moved by DeRozan’s story, even decided to share a moment from his life. Green revealed that until he came into the league, he didn’t quite know how much his mother made. Even though the Warriors forward knew that they were ‘poor’, he didn’t have a clue of how bad the financial situation was. Only after taking his mom on as a ‘dependent’ did Green realize that his mom made just $16,000 annually, on which she would raise six kids.
Even though Draymond and DeRozan went through back-breaking hardships, both are more than comfortable now. Green has done well for himself, making quite a fortune playing for the Warriors. Just last year, he signed a deal to make $100 million/4-years.
As for DeRozan, things drastically changed once he got drafted in 2009 by the Toronto Raptors, as the 9th pick. Currently, DeRozan is signed with the Chicago Bulls and is estimated to make $28,600,000 in salary payments alone.
DeMar DeRozan is a rich man
Growing up in Compton, California, DeMar could only have dreamt of a Hollywood life. Fast forward a few decades, and DeRozan is living the good life. He has primarily made his riches through his play on the hardwood.
DeRozan has made some serious dough since stepping into the league in 2009. Including his current contract with the Raptors, the Compton native is estimated to have made over $250,000,000. DeMar signed a 3-year/ $81,900,000 contract with the Bulls in the summer of 2021, and will most probably be testing out the free agency market this summer.
But, even though DeMar has made a bank on the court, most of his wealth is locked away in investments. He is a Nike Athlete, and recently renewed his contract with the apparel brand. The Bulls star even has his clothing line, named Comp10. DeMar event entered the sneaker rental space by investing in the brand KYX.
With the Bulls still in playoff contention, it would be interesting to see if DeRozan stays with the Bulls and takes a payday, or goes to a championship-caliber team while taking significant pay cuts.
