© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

This 9-year-old girl helped lead the Bulls to a screaming comeback win. Literally

DeMar DeRozan embraces his daughter Diar before the game against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Mark Blinch
/
NBAE via Getty Images
DeMar DeRozan embraces his daughter Diar before the game against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Welcome to the NPR series where we spotlight the people and things making headlines — and the stories behind them.


This 9-year-old epitomizes the idea of working smarter, not harder.

Who is she? A cunning kid with some resilient vocal cords.

  • Diar DeRozan is the daughter of Chicago Bulls player DeMar DeRozan, and while she isn't officially on the team, the tinier DeRozan had an outsized impact on her dad's team reaching a stunning 109-105 comeback victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. 
  • DeMar spent the first nine years of his career as a Raptor, and as a result, Diar had requested to skip school and come along for the mems. 
  • Turns out, she had a contribution to make. 
  • What's the big deal? How did Diar lead the Bulls to victory? Simple. Strategic screams.

  • The Bulls were trailing by as much as 19 points at one point in the NBA Play-in tournament game.
  • As it went into free throws, Diar utilized her eagle-like projection abilities to shriek when the Raptors were about to shoot. 
  • And it seems like she was definitely on to something. The Raptors missed 18 out of 36 free throws as the home team, and allowed for the Bulls to make their comeback victory. 
  • According to ESPN, it was the Raptors' worst free throw performance of the season, and the most misses in an elimination game since 1969. 
  • What are people saying?

    DeMar on his daughter's winning strategy:

    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. 

    My daughter called me the other day when she was getting out of school and she just said, 'Dad, can I come to the Toronto game?' 

    I remember her going to all the Toronto games when she was a kid and I almost said no because she's in school back home. But she kept asking. She was just adamant about coming to support and I said, "All right, you can miss one day of school and come to a game." I'm glad I did. I owe her some money for sure. 

    And this was Diar's game-winning contribution:

    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" 


    Want more sports? Listen to Consider This on how women's college basketball is having a moment.


    So, what now?

  • The Bulls will advance to play The Miami Heat on Friday. That's all the sports analysis you're ever going to get from me. 
  • BUT they won't have their MVP with them. DeRozan says she's "got to go back to school." 
  • Learn more:

  • Michael Jordan's 'Last Dance' sneakers sell for a record-breaking $2.2 million
  • Global warming could be juicing baseball home runs, study finds
  • NBA coach Gregg Popovich criticizes lawmakers over gun control
  • Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Corrected: April 13, 2023 at 12:00 AM EDT
    A previous version of this story incorrectly presented which team had which score.
    Manuela López Restrepo
    Manuela López Restrepo is a producer and writer at All Things Considered. She's been at NPR since graduating from The University of Maryland, and has worked at shows like Morning Edition and It's Been A Minute. She lives in Brooklyn with her cat Martin.

    The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

    If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

    Now all of that is at risk.

    Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

    Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

    Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

    SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

    SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

    The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

    If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

    Now all of that is at risk.

    Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

    Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

    Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

    Related Content