"He's the biggest, the coldest in the game" - DeMar DeRozan thankful to Drake for name-drop in "Lemon Pepper Freestyle"

DeMar DeRozan joined Quenten “QRich” Richardson and Darius Miles on their podcast “Knuckleheads” on Tuesday. Richardson quoted lyrics from Drake recognizing a strong city love for former Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan during the conversation.

The reference reads:

“My city love me like DeMar DeRozan.”

DeMar DeRozan and his love from Toronto

DeMar DeRozan, a four-time All-Star, earned praise from Toronto during his impressive tenure with the Raptors. DeRozan averaged 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in his 675 appearances across nine seasons in a Toronto uniform. Unfortunately, his time ended before their championship run as he was part of the trade deal that acquired star forward Kawhi Leonard.

When asked how he felt about Toronto winning the title without him, he said:

Gaining so much love from a city without even bringing the franchise an NBA championship is a hard feat. Toronto fans always hoped for a Finals run led by DeRozan and point guard Kyle Lowry. (Lowry was on the team that won the 2019 NBA title.) Such praise from a Toronto legend like the “6 God” himself, Drake, is evidence of how well the Raptors fanbase viewed DeRozan.

DeMar DeRozan and his relationship with legendary Toronto rapper Drake

Drake, a rap icon, was born in Toronto. Due to the amount of attention he has gained and drawn to Toronto, he has been dubbed the "6 God." In the song "Lemon Pepper Freestyle," released on the EP "Scary Hours 2," Drake shouts out DeRozan, his close friend.

Having the rapper devote a line in one of his songs to laud DeRozan, who grew up in Los Angeles, is a high compliment.

A Drake shoutout in a song is the Toronto equivalent of being knighted.

In the clip "Qrich" posted to his Twitter account, DeMar DeRozan explained:

"It's always an honor whenever you hear your name in a song period. But when Drake did it – I mean obviously, he's the biggest, the coldest in the game. That is my partner. That is my dog."

DeRozan is averaging 27.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game for the Chicago Bulls this season. Arguably playing more dominant than ever, DeRozan has helped lead the Bulls to second place in the Eastern Conference.

As Chicago was not considered a contender before the season after four straight losing seasons, DeRozan has helped prove many wrong. The Chicago Bulls have become a force to be reckoned with.