DeMar DeRozan recalls high school threat

DeMar DeRozan used a June 1 appearance on “The Richard Show” to recount a high school game in Long Beach, California, when he said gang members threatened his team from the sideline. Basketball Network republished the remarks on Monday, tying them to DeRozan’s memories of playing for Compton High before his NBA career. The Sacramento Kings guard said the incident happened at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He described a scene in which, after his team got off the bus, men began confronting them before the game started. ### Which game was DeRozan talking about? Long Beach Polytechnic High School was the setting DeRozan identified when he told the story. On the show, he said the confrontation began as Compton High arrived, with “a whole bunch of dudes” outside and players being “banged on,” a West Coast phrase Richard Jefferson said meant they were being tested. (basketballnetwork.net) Compton High is the school Basketball Network said DeRozan represented at the time. The outlet described the story as part of DeRozan’s recollection of how intense high school basketball environments could become in Southern California. ### What did DeRozan say the threats were? (basketballnetwork.net) DeRozan said the intimidation continued once the game began. He described hearing warnings from the sideline that if he scored again, people would rush the floor and attack his team. The clearest line from his retelling was: “Y’all ain’t going to make it out of here.” Basketball Network’s June 1 story highlighted that quote in its headline and article, presenting it as the central detail from the interview. (basketballnetwork.net) ### Who was with him in the interview? (basketballnetwork.net) Richard Jefferson was the named participant who responded during the exchange. DeRozan said, “We was getting banged on,” and Jefferson, who said he grew up in Los Angeles, interjected to explain the phrase for viewers unfamiliar with it. (basketballnetwork.net) “The Richard Show” was the program Basketball Network cited as the source of the comments. Search results and the republished account indicate the story circulating on Monday was based on that interview rather than on a new Kings media availability or team announcement. (basketballnetwork.net) ### How did DeRozan say he responded? DeRozan said he did not back off. In the interview clip cited by Basketball Network, he said he kept playing and “continued to score,” framing the moment as one in which he ignored the threats rather than changing his approach. (basketballnetwork.net) Basketball Network cast that response as a test of mental strength, but the underlying fact in DeRozan’s own telling was simpler: he said the threats did not stop him from shooting. ### Why was this story in the news now? Basketball Network published its article on June 1, 2026, during the NBA Finals news cycle, resurfacing an older personal story from DeRozan’s interview rounds. (basketballnetwork.net) Yahoo Sports also carried the same account on June 1, crediting the remarks to DeRozan’s retelling of his high school experience in Long Beach. The story was not attached to any reported Sacramento Kings roster move. As of the June 1 aggregation, it stood as an off-court item about DeRozan’s background and the conditions he said he faced before entering the NBA. DeRozan remains with the Sacramento Kings in the current coverage stream, and Basketball Network’s June 1 item points readers back to “The Richard Show” as the source for the full exchange with Jefferson. (basketballnetwork.net)