Photo Courtesy of the Bleacher Report / Twitter
Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan’s 9-year-old daughter faced horrendous online threats for screaming at the free-throw line during the Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors game on Wednesday, April 12.
Several videos showed 9-year-old Diar DeRozan screaming with all her might whenever a Raptors player attempted a free throw. Numerous Bulls fans approved Diar’s tactics in helping her father’s team win.
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However, other game watchers disapproved
of the stunt and reportedly threatened the child. It’s unclear where the threats were made, but the NBA caught wind of them and sent Scotiabank Arena security to escort Diar to her dad.Diar’s screaming attempts succeeded, leading the Raptors to miss 18 free throws and the Bulls to win 109-105.
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During a press conference after the game, DeMar revealed he didn’t know where the screams came from until he “looked back” and saw it was Diar.
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In an interview after the Bulls’ game against the Heat on Friday, which they lost
, DeMar said he didn’t think it would go as far as it did.“For her, I just keep it within her,” DeMar said. “I try not to let her…she’s only nine. I try to keep it still from a…she’s still a child. I don’t let her get caught up into the outside effects of it. She just came there for one reason and one reason only. That was to support her dad, and she had the most fun with it. For me, I just want to protect that moment for her.”
He continued, “She’s taking it well. That’s what it’s all about. [As] long as we win, that’s all she cares about.”
The Bulls forward added, “(Sic) I never would’ve thought it would’ve went to that extreme that it did. Maybe later down the line, when she gets older, she can look back at it and realize what really happened, but amongst our small inner circle, she definitely feels it.”
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