Bulls star DeMar DeRozan got some sweet revenge on the Raptors during their meeting in Wednesday night’s play-in tournament clash.
Despite that encapsulating narrative, it was DeRozan’s daughter who was the talk of the town after Chicago advanced to the next round of the play-in. DeRozan’s daughter, Diar, went viral during the play-in tournament game after she was seen screaming every time Toronto attempted a free throw.
The Raptors, who shoot over 78% from the free-throw line on average, made just 50% (18 of 36) of their foul shots on Wednesday, sending the internet into a frenzy declaring Diar as the Bulls’ x-factor.
After the game, DeRozan weighed in on his daughter going viral, indicating that he’d only just seen the footage when speaking to reporters.
“Man, I just seen it. She went viral,” said DeRozan. “I kept hearing something during the game... and I looked back and I was like ‘damn, that’s my daughter screaming?’”
"I kept hearing something during the game."
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 13, 2023
DeMar DeRozan reacts to his daughter's screaming during Raptors free throws 😅pic.twitter.com/vtimkbB5zv
The 33-year-old had 23 points, seven rebounds, and three assists across 39 minutes in Wednesday’s win, and Bulls guard Zach LaVine’s 39 points led the game. But the biggest star for Chicago against the Raptors was, without a doubt, DeRozan’s daughter, Diar.
DeRozan seemed plenty amused by his daughter’s antics, once he realized she was okay, that is.
The Bulls will face the Heat in the second round of the play-in tournament, with a spot in the 2023 NBA playoffs on the line.
