An appreciation of DeMar DeRozan’s Bulls stint

An appreciation of DeMar DeRozan’s Bulls stint originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich

The loud, on-the-court highlights were bountiful and will stand the test of time.

Whenever DeMar DeRozan is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, surely that one-legged, 28-foot 3-pointer he sank to beat the buzzer and the Indiana Pacers on 2021 New Year’s Eve will be played.

Or maybe the difficult pump fake and corner 3-pointer to beat the buzzer and the Washington Wizards the next night will be, given that it marked the first time in NBA history a player sank buzzer-beating 3-pointers for victories on consecutive days.

DeRozan offered other worthy on-court moments during his three seasons with the Chicago Bulls, posting 12 40-point games, averaging 25.5 points and steadily climbing the all-time scoring ranks to pass names like Larry Bird or Elgin Baylor or Dwyane Wade.

But it’s the quieter moments where DeRozan truly made his greatest impact as a Bull.

From driving to the University of Illinois to attend Ayo Dosunmu’s jersey retirement to inviting Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry to his early offseason workouts in Los Angeles, DeRozan treated younger players with respect and plied them with confidence.

His consistent demeanor and quiet leadership drew praise from organizational members as varied as basketball decision-makers to business operations staffers.

His love for basketball showed in everything from leading the NBA in minutes played at age 34 to attending Windy City Bulls games on off nights to his appreciation for old-school moves and the sport’s history.

DeRozan used to love being told what legend of the game he was about to pass on the all-time scoring list. Not so much for bragging rights, although he loved hearing about Wade, who is his neighbor in southern California. But more because DeRozan long has been a student of the game.

“I mean, that’s Larry Bird,” DeRozan said early last season in Indianapolis. “From a fan perspective, it’s amazing. It’s an honor. . . . Listen, that’s a player who I watched a whole bunch of film…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/appreciation-demar-derozans-bulls-stint-133820932.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-07-07 13:38:20

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