Video: DeMar DeRozan Scores 54 Points, Leads 25-Point Rally to Win Drew League Title

It's still the offseason, but Sacramento Kings star DeMar DeRozan might already be in midseason form.

The six-time NBA All-Star scored 54 points as his Mecca Cheaters beat Nationwide Souljas 114-113 in the Drew League championship game Sunday. The Cheaters overcame a 16-point deficit inside the final five minutes.

The Drew League has long been a summer stop for players around the NBA as they look to stay sharp. DeRozan, a native of Compton, California, has particularly close ties to the Los Angeles-based event. He made his first appearance all the way back in 2005.

The 35-year-old teamed up with LeBron James in 2022 and their combined presence garnered nationwide attention. For DeRozan, that carried a larger significance.

"You telling me the LeBron James just came out here to play?" he said on the Draymond Green Show (via Ryan Taylor of NBC Sports Chicago). "And right across the street is the projects. Right down the street is the neighborhood I grew up in. So, to see this man come up there and play, it's bigger than basketball. It's being an inspiration and a motivation to that community to have light and to keep pushing forward. And that was a positive day that's going to be remembered forever."

Plenty of younger fans will undoubtedly have been left in awe at DeRozan's impressive showing Sunday.

Looking ahead to the 2024-25 NBA campaign, it appears the Kings can expect the 6'6" forward to remain a dynamic scorer in his first year with the team.