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Nine months after his father's death, DeMar DeRozan returned to Los Angeles with the Chicago Bulls in tow, and he shocked the rolling Clippers with a game-high 35 points en route to the 100-90 win. It was an emotional return for DeRozan, as he has been dealing with the death of his father, yet the new member of the Bulls led the way for his team, supplementing his 35 points with seven boards, and five assists.
According to ESPN's Jamal Collier, DeRozan's father was his biggest supporter and is a sorely missed presence in the arena:
DeMar DeRozan dropped 35 points tonight and said this was his first time playing in LA since his father died.
“He was at every game… tonight was one of those games that, I wish he was here”
— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) November 15, 2021
As the Bulls have been excelling in the East — currently sitting at third in the conference — DeRozan has been an instrumental piece to Chicago's revival and has made a new home for himself in the Windy City. As per the Chicago Bulls' official Twitter:
"I couldn’t be more happier being here in Chicago, honestly." -DeMar DeRozan pic.twitter.com/wNPxhW21fO
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 15, 2021
Yet DeRozan — a native of California — also talked to the Los Angeles Lakers, as shared by theScore's Josh Weinstein:
DeRozan nearly signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason before eventually agreeing to a deal with Chicago. While he would've been closer to his family had he joined the Lakers, his decision to join a new-look Bulls squad has paid off so far.
The Clippers were supposedly in the mix as well, but DeRozan wound up heading to Chicago. Regardless of his current team or location, DeRozan is still a stellar player fueled by inspiration from his late father.
