Diar DeRozan, DeMar DeRozan’s daughter, went viral on Wednesday when her screaming during the Toronto Raptors’ free throws became a prominent part of the Chicago Bulls’ comeback win in the NBA play-in round.
That narrative ended up having a darker side to it.
According to TNT’s Chris Haynes, Diar was removed out of Scotiabank Arena by Bulls security and transported to the team van by her father after the NBA warned the team of significant internet threats against her.
When reached by Haynes, the older DeRozan minimized the threat to his daughter’s safety but expressed gratitude for the warning:
“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 yelling during the Bulls-Raptors game was a huge cause of frustration for Raptors supporters and others on Wednesday, even before it was verified that DeMar DeRozan’s kid which is Diar was the source of the yelling. Despite the fact that every player in the NBA is surely skilled in hitting free throws, the yelling made for an easy story when the Raptors shot 18-for-36 on free throws in a 109-105 loss.
The free throw screams were mainly taken in stride. Diar’s efforts to save her father’s season were well received by Bulls fans, and there were several demands for a repeat performance for the Bulls’ next play-in game against the Miami Heat on Friday.
During the game on Wednesday, DeRozan told reporters that Diar only attended because the Bulls were playing the Raptors, a team that is particularly important to the family because DeMar spent nine seasons there. The Bulls played on Friday without Diar because he indicated he would only allow her to skip one day of class.
Even yet, the Heat made some preparations just in case
The fact that some people were so outraged about a 9-year-old attempting to help her father that they threatened her safety is regrettably not unexpected these days, when everyone has access to social media and doesn’t have to worry about any actual consequences except in the most extreme circumstances.
Thankfully, it doesn’t appear like the DeRozans are disturbed.
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