Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm by DeMar DeRozan is the biography of one of the Toronto Raptors’ current all-time leading scorers and one of the NBA’s most deadly mid-range shooters today. Although it’s true that many professional athletes literally came from nothing prior to gaining superstardom, I was for some odd reason drawn to DeMar’s story. I remember a couple of years ago reading about how he spoke up about his battle with depression and paved the way forward for other professional athletes in all different sports to also speak up about mental health. Besides depression, I had read many years before how he had grown up in Compton and that navigating his way through gang life and watching so many of his close friends and relatives die due to it was a normal part of his life as a child. Again, his story doesn’t seem all that unique, which is obviously sad in and of itself, but I had wanted to learn more about his story and how he had made it from the bottom to literally the very top.

One of the most important things I’ve learned about DeMar’s story is how crucial it is, especially for a child growing up in such a rough neighborhood, to have loving and caring parents. He likely wouldn’t have made it to the NBA if it weren’t for his father pushing him to his absolute limits. That, along with DeMar’s deep love for basketball, is essential. Dealing with all the negative things around him and not being able to or knowing how to process those feelings, other than to pour everything he has into playing basketball, is what makes him the superstar he is, but it also led to his bouts of depression, anger, frustration, and sadness later in life.

DeMar in my opinion is a very relatable person and reading Above the Noise puts into perspective and a reminder that not all superstar athletes we see on TV today were born into that life. Kids and teenagers like DeMar who has never really been out of his neighborhood and suddently thrust into the spotlight can be scary and it was a fun to read about him describing his experiences when having to move to a whole new country and having to be separated from his family and cousins. It was also a chilling read to hear him put down into words on what he had to go through and what went down when he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

Watching his highlights now hits a lot differently than before. I’ve always loved his midrange game, something that he has perfected in the NBA. While the game has changed, watching someone be able to just bully their way to the middle of the floor or to get to any spot he wants on the floor is still a treat to watch. But more than that, Above the Noise tells us the story of how that player got to that point and what he had to go through. His determination to want something better for himself and his family is a huge motivating factor for anyone.