DeMar DeRozan’s 9-year-old daughter Diar went viral Wednesday night for her unexpected major role in her father’s game.
The Chicago Bulls were facing the Toronto Raptors in Canada, and every time a Raptor went to the free-throw line, Diar screeched at the top of her lungs.
It worked. The Raptors went just 18-for-36 from the line in the Bulls’ 109-105 play-in tournament win that ended Toronto’s season.
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DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls puts on his sneakers before a game against the Toronto Raptors during the 2023 play-in tournament April 12, 2023, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images)
However, what was meant to be innocent fun turned into a serious situation after the game. The girl was escorted out of the arena by security due to “severe online threats” made toward her, according to Bleacher Report.
She was led to the team bus with her father.
“As long as she was there with her father, I wasn’t worried about anything happening. It was just a precautionary measure, and I appreciate that,” the Bulls star told Bleacher Report.
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan reacts after no foul was called during the first half of a game against the Atlanta Hawks Dec. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.)
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Perhaps Diar’s biggest screams came in the final minute of the game when Pascal Siakam was fouled behind the three-point line by Alex Caruso. Siakam walked to the free throw line down three points, 107-104, with the chance to tie the game.
Siakam hit his first free throw through Diar’s scream, but she was determined to keep it going, and she was successful. Siakam missed his next two free throws, and the Raptors’ season slipped away.
DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls embraces his daughter before a game against the Toronto Raptors during the 2023 play-in tournament April 12, 2023, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
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The Bulls face the Miami Heat Friday in another do-or-die game. The winner becomes the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and faces the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
