LeBron James might have very well scarred DeMar DeRozan for life. It’s been nearly six years since the latter’s Toronto stint ended, but in an appearance on Paul George’s podcast last year, the 35-year-old admitted that the 2018 playoffs still “haunts” him. Despite it all, Deebo has nothing but respect and love for the ‘King’. How can he not? It’s hard for anybody who watched a prime LeBron during his return to Cleveland to be in awe of the man. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the greatness of the ‘Chosen One’.

And supporting this claim is DeRozan’s latest admission. “I said it plenty of times, but yeah, that motherf***er was impossible to beat!” the 6x All-Star stated on the Club 520 Podcast. When Brandon Hendricks asked if he thought the Raptors could have won if they had another chance, the ex-USC product provided a straightforward answer: “I’m gonna be honest. No.”

The 2018 Cavs vs Raps playoffs saw quite a lot of late-game heroics from King James. And while Bron fans have many instances to pick from, for DeMar DeRozan, it was Game 3. The ‘Buckeye State’ already had a 2-0 lead over Toronto and while the third phase looked like it might just be in favor of the latter, well… there was the ‘Akron Hammer’ ready to dash all hopes.

“I just remember him shooting that one-legged floater and it going in. And I was like, ‘sh**, this is it right here.’ That was like the end of my time in Toronto,” DeMar DeRozan had said in 2023.


The 20x All-Star has had great success against the Raptors during his time in Miami as well as the Cavaliers. With the Heat, he had an unbeatable 13-0 record vs Toronto while with the Cavs, the Canadian franchise provided something of a challenge – 28-10. And the Raptors found their winning ways after LeBron James moved to Los Angeles, the same time that DeRozan was traded to the Spurs, to win their only title in 2019 by beating the injury-ridden Warriors.

But DeMar wasn’t the only one who received the complete Bron experience.

DeMar DeRozan wasn’t the only one who was terrorized by LeBron James
Jeff Teague, the former Hawks star, had his own tale of horror to share. Fresh off their 2016 championship, the ‘City of Champions’ was still putting up breathtaking performances. And perhaps showing off just a little bit? Because that’s what it felt like listening to Teague’s story. “I’ve never won a playoff game against him! One time we was up 30. I swear to God, we was up 30. I was playing for the Pacers, game 3. I’m like, ‘I finally beat this dude!’ He walking at halftime, and said ‘We good, we good. Y’all, everybody keep their head up.’”

“They were down 8 in the third quarter. I looked at them, I said, ‘It’s over. They going to beat us, bro.’ I’m doing everything in my power. ‘[I’m like] Paul, shoot the ball man, take us home. I just want one win.’,” he recounted, chuckling in disbelief.
Well, there you go. Just another victim/fan of LeBron James. But whatever DeMar DeRozan showcased during his faceoffs with Bron must have impressed him, because during the offseason trades, the veteran was reportedly one of the candidates James was willing to take a pay cut for. Of course, we know what happened after.

But it doesn’t take away from the fact that the all-time scorer has a bevy of fans in his colleagues.