‘It took a lot of guts.’ The Raptors’ Fred VanVleet isn’t the only one who owes DeMar DeRozan a debt of gratitude

Fred VanVleet watched and marvelled as DeMar DeRozan changed the way he played basketball, morphing from a pure scorer into something much more.

But what was more impressive to VanVleet was how his one-time Raptors teammate changed the NBA, and pro sports as a whole.

“He changed a billion-dollar business,” VanVleet said of the way DeRozan began an open and frank conversation about mental wellness among professional athletes. “He changed it pretty much single-handedly (by) speaking out. And obviously a lot more guys felt more comfortable, and that’s what it’s about …

“We’ll never know the impact, but we just know it’s a great impact on the league and on the guys and on players, coaching staff, whoever. That this is DeMar DeRozan and he goes through (crap) just like everyone else.”

The story is familiar to anyone who has followed the Raptors or the NBA in recent years. DeRozan, during the heyday of his time with the Raptors, openly spoke about battling moments of depression, opening a stream of conversations among players that took some of the stigma away.

It resonated with VanVleet when DeRozan first did it; it resonates even more now, in challenging COVID-19 times.

“It took a lot of guts and a lot of heart to do that, and (it was) something that helped me and my personal life, feeling comfortable about some of those things,” the 26-year-old VanVleet said before the Raptors faced DeRozan and the Spurs on Saturday night in San Antonio. “It opened my eyes to things that I was ignorant about, and I think it was special for him to do that.

“I think it’s even more important now during this pandemic. I think people’s mental health has been pushed to the side a little bit, so I think it’s something we should all focus on a little more and keep at the forefront of all of our discussions.”

The relationship between VanVleet and DeRozan does run deep. Much was made, and rightfully so, of the lifelong friendship that grew in Toronto between DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, but DeRozan’s impact was deep with far more of his teammates.

His professionalism and support were things that young players such as VanVleet noticed and took to heart. DeRozan was in the middle of a dominant stretch with the Raptors when VanVleet arrived as an unheralded rookie in 2016, and watching how the veteran comported himself showed VanVleet the path he needed to take.

“He’s one of those pivotal guys in my career, on and off the court,” VanVleet said. “Gave a lot of … wisdom and tough love, and taught me a lot just from watching him — watching him prepare every day, watching him practise every day, watching him work out every day, and then seeing him perform on a night-in, night-out basis.

“He’s really, really, really high on my list, just as a friend and guy that I’ve grown close to over the last few years. Obviously, I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

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