“Don’t worry I got us.”
As a huge long-time fan of the @torontoraptors, and a boisterous cheerleader for former #TorontoRaptors #six-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA Team player, DeMar DeRozan, @demar_derozan, of course I was interested in reading his new book #AboveTheNoise #harpercollinscanada.
A fan favourite for his spirited commitment on the court, DeRozan cemented his place in fans’ hearts after Chris Bosh, the Raptors seven season franchise all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots was traded to the Miami Heat.
Raptors fans were outraged but DeRozan, fully devoted the Toronto fan base tweeted:
“Don’t worry, I got us.”
It was a five-word declaration that stoked the love — and the fire — in every Raptor-loving heart.
What is uniquely refreshing about the “Above The Noise” is the way DeRozan shares his journey from there to here — an all-his-cards-on-the-table with not a hint of cockiness or secrets withheld. In fact, this NBA All-Star, who played with the Toronto Raptors from 2009 to 2018, doesn’t hide the raw emotions brewing just below the surface. Anger, rage, frustration, and resentment surrounded him growing up in Compton, hard core emotions that took down many of his peers — but not DeRozan. And although his parents endured significant financial and health struggles, the ongoing efforts of his mom and dad, his aunts and uncles and cousins, helped keep him on the straight and narrow, allowing DeRozan to maximize his athletic talents as he worked faithfully to make it to the top of his game —and excel at it.
“[My parents] worked their assess off to put a roof over my head and built a protective circle around me that allowed me to escape the pitfalls of growing up in Compton,” DeRozan says,
And when is the last time you’ve heard an elite athlete admit, after being famously benched — a demotion that DeRozan said was being harped about nonstop on TV —that the one thing he knew might help him was to make a call home.
“I think I just needed to hear my mom tell me everything was going to be all right,” DeRozan says.
Intriguingly, to hear that the NBA — which courtside, often feels like it might be a fraternity of brother athletes — is the farthest thing from a social club —and is in fact a cutthroat business.
The extra pressure of “staying normal” while shouldering the responsibilities and accountabilities of being a team leader took DeRozan down a path of angst that famously prompted him, on February 17, 2018, to tweet:
“This depression get the best of me.”
Talk about a viral outpouring of loe and support. And while DeRozan isn’t jumping into the fray as a full out advocate for mental health, his outspokenness around the subject has been impactful relative to the stigma and shame related to mental health challenges.
DeRozan’s across the bow straight up honesty, passion, skill, and grateful appreciation to everyone that has helped him to become the man — and athlete he is today — makes for a highly entertaining and impactful read on and off the court.
A stellar read for anyone who believes in their heart of hearts that they can —and will make it —when they do their damndest to stay #abovethenoise.
@demar_derozan
#ballislife #hoops #baskethoops #toronto #Deebo IceCubemovie #raptorsbasketball #raptorsnation
@demardrozan #wethenorth #canada#six #keepgoing #abovethenoise #mentalhealth #depression #NBA
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Cece is the feature cover writer for several prestigious publications both in print and online, and is an informed, connected and enthusiastic book blogger at cecescott.com. Her first book, The Love Story, was published in 2019, and was named one of “8 Books That Will Change Your Life,” by City Life Magazine.
Her books, “Nunzio Tumino: A Pocketful of Dreams: An Immigrant’s Journey,” and “Helping People One Hand At A Time” are all available on amazon.ca.
Cece is also working on a book of Daily Pick-Me-Ups for AutoImmune and other Life Warriors, called:
“My Body Parts Are On Recall But I’ve Still Got Gas in my Tank.”
Sign up for a preview of my upcoming book here: right here, right now.
