Toronto Raptors All-NBA shooting guard DeMar DeRozan would actually prefer to work on Christmas if he had the choice.
In a feature by Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that ran on Friday, DeRozan sounded off on his team not getting to play on Christmas Day.
“It has gotten to the point where you just sigh and say, ‘Another year …,'” said DeRozan. “That’s crazy. I always wanted to say that I’m playing on Christmas.
“We’ve won. We’ve been one of the best in the league the past few years,” he added. “To not get that look is definitely crazy. … There is really no excuse. We’ve proven we are a top team in the league for a reason.”
DeRozan’s backcourt partner Kyle Lowry would also echo the same sentiment.
“You get the special shoes,” Lowry said. “The Christmas jerseys. That’s one I want to frame one day. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to do it.
“I’m not mad at it,” he continued. “We just want the opportunity. It would be really cool to play on Christmas.”
Indeed, the Raptors have only ever played on Christmas Day once — a 102-94 loss to the New York Knicks way back in 2001. That puts them in a category with just the Minnesota Timberwolves (one total Christmas game played, though they will be playing again this year) as well as the Charlotte Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies (zero Christmas Day appearances each).
With a glut of marquee teams and players populating the league today, it’s inevitable that some worthy teams will be snubbed from the Christmas Day schedule. But with the All-Star backcourt of Lowry and DeRozan headlining a well-rounded squad that has proven they can win 50-plus games a season, the Raptors have a right to feel slighted. Hey, maybe next year they can take the place of this guy who doesn’t quite believe in the whole Christmas thing.
