Last night’s game between the Chicago Bulls and the Toronto Raptors was one to remember, thanks to an unlikely hero – Demar DeRozan’s daughter, Diar. The 9-year-old stole the show by letting out ear-piercing screams every time a Raptors player approached the free-throw line. Little did anyone know that her support would prove to be the turning point of the game.
With Diar’s screams ringing in their ears, the Raptors missed a total of 18 free throws, ultimately leading to their defeat with a score of 109-105. Fans were quick to dub Diar as the MVP of the game, and social media was buzzing with her name. Even the ESPN broadcast couldn’t resist zooming in on her during free throws.
DeRozan, who played for the Raptors for nine seasons, spoke to reporters about his daughter’s new-found fame after the game. He said he kept hearing something during the game and realized it was his daughter screaming.
“Man, I just seen it, she went viral,” the six-time NBA-All Star said. “I haven’t let it soak in yet. Everyone keeps saying. But that’s all right. I kept hearing something during the game and it was on a free throw, somebody missed and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s my daughter screaming?’ I was just making sure she was all right, though.”
He also revealed that Diar wasn’t even supposed to be at the game, but she had begged him to let her come and support her dad’s team.
“What’s crazy, my daughter called me the other day when she was getting out of school… and she said, ‘Dad, can I come to the Toronto game? I remember coming to all the Toronto games’ when she was a kid,” he told reporters.
“And I almost said no because she’s in school back home. She kept asking, she was just adamant about coming and support. And I said, ‘You can miss one day of school and come to a game.’ And I’m glad I did. I owe her some money, for sure,” DeRozan added.
