A fourth-grade class was missing Diar DeRozan on Wednesday, much to the dismay but eventual approval of her father, Chicago Bulls shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. It may be the best decision the Bulls have made in their defensive strategy, resulting in a 109-105 win.

Timed to the exact moment each Raptor shot free throws, a high-pitched scream could be heard on ESPN’s broadcast and throughout Scotiabank Arena. Fans watching the Bulls-Raptors play-in game were baffled by the noise, which could partially account for the Bulls’ comeback win.

The identity of the culprit creating such high-frequency wails was none other than DeMar DeRozan’s own daughter. The Chicago Bulls’ MVP honor should belong to 9-year-old Diar DeRozan, who made herself known to the opposing team, the Toronto Raptors, with her shrieking antics.

You could say DeMar DeRozan also had something to do with that victory, scoring 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in the must-win game. But even DeMar DeRozan agrees that his daughter’s wails each time Raptors stepped to the free-throw line were perhaps the most effective. 

The Raptors missed 18 of 36 free-throw attempts, with O.G. Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet combined to miss 14 free throws in their season-ending loss. It was the most free throw misses in an NBA elimination game since 1969.

“She went viral,” DeRozan told reporters between laughs. “I kept hearing something during the game. There was one free throw, somebody missed, and I looked back, and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s my daughter screaming?’ Made sure she was all right, though.”

The four-time All-Star played for the Raptors from 2009 until 2018, when he was traded to acquire Kawhi Leonard. 

“You know, it’s crazy. My daughter called me the other day getting out of school, and she just said: ‘Dad, can I come to the Toronto game? I remember going to all the Toronto games’ when she was a kid. I almost said no because she in school back home. She kept asking. She was adamant about coming to support…”

Diar DeRozan’s cries lit NBA Twitter ablaze Wednesday night.

Now to the dismay of Bulls’ fans, Diar DeRozan will not be in attendance for the next game. According to her father, her days of missing school are over.

To the Heat’s good fortune, when the Bulls travel to Miami this Friday, they won’t be faced with the piercing screams of DeMar DeRozan’s menacing child. The winner will play the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

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