In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green asks guest Fred VanVleet for his take on the public feud between rapper Drake and Raptors star DeMar DeRozan, specifically how the dispute might affect DeRozan’s chances of having his jersey retired by Toronto. VanVleet expresses disappointment over the conflict, emphasizes DeRozan’s importance to the franchise, and argues that the feud does not help the jersey‑retirement case. He reflects on the behind‑the‑scenes politics surrounding Vince Carter’s jersey and how ownership sentiment can influence legacy decisions. The conversation then shifts to a broader discussion of which players are likely to join Vince Carter’s retired‑jersey lineup in the next decade, with VanVleet naming Chris Bosh, Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, and DeRozan as top candidates. Finally, VanVleet offers a modest reflection on his own career, noting the lasting significance of the 2019 championship and his desire for a longer starter role, while acknowledging that time will ultimately judge his contributions.
Chapters
What do you make of this whole DeMar Drake thing? Drake saying he ain't getting his jersey retired, I'll pull it down. DeMar saying, "Good luck with that." Pretty much saying like, "Of course my jersey get retired." You as an NBA champion, Toronto Raptor, what's your take on this whole thing?
Man, I hate to see it, man. I hate to see it. Obviously DeMar is someone that I've grown close to, someone like a big brother to me. Draymond Green, you know, I consider a friend and someone that, you know, I got a lot of love and respect for. So, you know, I hate to see it between those two. Obviously, they got their own personal relationship and that went however it went. It went a lot of different ways. So I hope that— I hope they figure it out. I hope it ain't, you know what I'm saying, nothing crazy, nothing serious, you know what I'm saying? I just hope everybody can figure it out. Oh yeah. I don't like to see that.
Do you think ultimately DeMar jersey gets retired with the Raptors?
Yeah, I think it should. I think it should. I think that, you know, when you look at what he did, you know, especially when you want to give the history of the franchise and what Vince and all of those guys meant at the beginning and what that meant for, Canadian basketball, because that's what a lot of people don't understand is how much impact the team and the franchise has on the country. So for the— we saw the impact that Vince had, and then we saw it again with Draymond Green. You know, he didn't lead the team to the title, but he ultimately, he built that foundation and laid that foundation. And those were 59-win teams. Those were first overall seeds. That was the Eastern Conference Finals. And, you know, I witnessed some of the best basketball played with his 2 years there. So yeah, I would love to see that for him and for the city and for the team. But only time will tell.
Do you think, when looking at that situation, do you think that's something that ultimately a Draymond Green with all the power that he has and Canada, let alone Toronto. Do you think— but, but this is the NBA, you know, so it's a little different, but I don't know, like, do you think that's— and being someone that spent time in Toronto, the majority of your career in Toronto, do you think that's something that he has the power to alter?
It's hard to say. I would say that I don't think it helps.
Yeah.
I don't think it helps. I don't think them, you know, being at odds or whatever the case may be helps the case of him getting his jersey retired. But also you gotta think, and just for me being there and knowing a little bit about the behind the scenes of the Vince situation, which was directly like with ownership and people, you know, within the organization who had a bad taste in their mouth after he left. For them to be able to overcome that over time and still pay homage to the work and the testament of the person that he was and the things that he did while he was there. I think he still was able to overcome some of those behind the scenes things. So yeah, I hope that this situation isn't, you know what I'm saying, that deep to where it's like we kind of changed the legacy or the history, you know, of the basketball that was played. And I believe all things can be reconciled, you know what I mean? As long as ain't nobody been hurt. And nothing physical has happened, you know, it's, you know, men being men and, you know, I think they'll figure it out.
VC the first, who's ultimately, if you look at the next, say 15 years from now, what jerseys will be hanging alongside VC's in Toronto, in your opinion?
Man, it just, I don't know, it depends on, you know, who's calling those shots, but, If you just wanna go down the list, I think that it would make sense for Vince to be up there. Chris Bosh was another major cornerstone piece and just a standout talent that was drafted there early. Obviously, Kyle will go down as, you know, the fan favorite, greatest Raptor of all time, people's champion. And then DeMar, I think that's a good 4. I think Kawhi was the best player that we ever had, that the team ever had. You know, that was the highest, you know, level that was reached. But I don't know how much you can give to someone who only played a year, you know what I'm saying, under the team. But I think any of those, combination of those four, I think Kyle definitely is going up there. And then, you know, we'll see what happens with DeMar. I think DeMar definitely deserves to be up there.
All-Star, I think ultimately the key to the championship because we couldn't figure you out. You don't think you ultimately go up there?
Yeah, it's hard for me to think about myself right now, just, you know, being in the midst of my own career. But I think again, you still have to see how time, you know, time will kind of judge us all and we'll look back and I know for myself, it being almost, what, 5 years now since the championship. Like, we get farther and farther away from it and it becomes like more and more important and more and more relevant and like harder to get back to. So it's like, you know, you start to realize how great that moment was. I wish that I would've got a little bit longer, you know, time as like a starter and the guy, you know, to make more of an impact.
Mm-hmm.
But I'm very happy with, you know, the career that I had there, the impact I left, and the relationships that I built. And I think that run is, you know, one of those legendary runs. So yeah, I would love to go up there.
