TORONTO (AP) — Diar DeRozan wanted to skip a day of school. Her father grudgingly went along with the plan.
Turns out, the decision was worth shouting about.
The 9-year-old daughter of Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan stole the show at the play-in tournament on Wednesday night with shrieks from the stands that went viral and quite possibly played a role in helping the Bulls defeat the Toronto Raptors 109-105 in an Eastern Conference elimination game.
Her ear-splitting shouts would come when the Raptors — her dad’s former team — were shooting free throws, and they were loud enough to even become a conversation point during the ESPN broadcast of the game. The Raptors finished 18 of 36 from the line in their season-ending loss.
“My daughter called me the other day when she was getting out of school and she just said, ‘Dad, can I come to the Toronto game?’” DeRozan said. “I remember her going to all the Toronto games when she was a kid and I almost said no because she’s in school back home. But she kept asking. She was just adamant about coming to support and I said, ‘All right, you can miss one day of school and come to a game.’
“I’m glad I did,” DeRozan said. “I owe her some money for sure.”
The 18-for-36 showing was Toronto’s worst of the season from the foul line.
“Not a great free throw night for us in general,” Toronto’s Pascal Siakam said.
The Bulls advanced to face Miami on Friday night in a win-or-go-home game, with a chance to make the playoffs and face No. 1 Milwaukee in Round 1 of the East playoffs starting Sunday.
Good news for the Heat: Diar’s dad said she isn’t going to Miami.
“No,” DeRozan said. “She’s got to go back to school.”
(© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
