Could DeMar DeRozan’s daughter be coming to NBA 2K? According to Ronnie 2K, it “needs” to happen.
DeRozan’s daughter set the Twitter world alight during the Chicago Bulls’ come-from-behind win in Wednesday night’s play-in game, screaming every time a Raptors player took a free throw. That happened on 36 occasions. On 18 of those occasions, the Raptors missed. OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam seemed particularly rattled by the distraction, going 3-8 and 5-11 respectively, though they certainly were not alone – of their starters, Scottie Barnes was their best performed at the line after hitting four of his seven attempts.
The heckling from the sidelines was in equal parts funny and adorable, and Ronnie 2K's suggestion would be a humorous addition to the growing list of features on NBA 2K. You can see it now – finger trembling over the controller as you set up for a pivotal free throw, only to be distracted by a piercing scream from a player’s daughter on the sidelines.
Of course, though Ronnie 2K’s tongue is no doubt firmly planted in his cheek, his comment is testament to the attention that Diar DeRozan has earned for her antics. Whether it actually had any bearing on the Raptors’ disastrous night at the free throw line or not is something that only Pascal Siakam and co can answer, but regardless of what it was, they’ll have a whole summer to rue what was a wasted opportunity to give themselves a one-game chance at advancing through to the 2023 NBA playoffs.