In an interview with Jim Rome, DeRozan talked about a multitude of things including his All-Star selection, being labelled as a dunker, finally winning in Toronto, and even Drake. Something that stuck out was him giving a shout out to the fans and talking about how the name in front of the jersey is serious business for him and the team:

The city embraced me, made me feel at home. The only difference [between Compton and Toronto] for me is the cold.

I worked so hard this summer just to bring back the city of Toronto the joyfulness that they always want. We have one of the best fans in the NBA, they come out and support us every night. Everybody on this team fights, not just for us, but for this city because they support us so much. We lay everything on the line every time we step out there on that court.