DeMarre Carroll reflects on liver disease, fashion, family and the story of his life

It’s fair to say the first year of DeMarre Carroll as a member of the Toronto Raptors did not go according to plan. After a series of bad luck injuries and knee surgery, the 29-year-old swingman only got to play in 29 regular season and 20 playoff games last season. After Toronto was eliminated, Carroll listed off all of the injuries he had accrued over those last few weeks and months. There’s no doubt he is the team’s iron man.

Of course, Carroll is more than that. Over at the NBPA website, Jared Zwerling (fresh off that stirring Norm Powell piece) weaves a tale of reflection on the man we call JYD 2.0. In basketball, as in life, Carroll’s been through a lot.

Have a read to learn about Carroll’s early struggles with liver disease and the resultant work he’s done with his foundation the Carroll Family Foundation (CFF). Then, enjoy a brief sojourn into DeMarre’s fashion aspirations — which should not come as a surprise if you’ve glimpsed his Instagram account. It may come as news to you however to learn of DeMarre’s brother DeLonte who passed away from a brain tumour when DeMarre was just five years old. There’s a lot to get to here.

Through the ups and downs, it’s clear that Carroll’s life has contained multitudes. This makes it hard not to smile upon learning that DeMarre has spoken with Caron “Tough Juice” Butler, who recently published a memoir on his life — which is currently in development with Mark Wahlberg for a possible film adaptation — about creating his own memoir.

Time will tell if Carroll’s life will translate to the big screen, but we here in Toronto are certainly hoping for the next part of the story.