It’s tough to blame DeMar DeRozan for the struggles the Chicago Bulls went through in the three seasons he spent with the team. While the front office seemingly put together a strong team on paper, the team didn’t play well enough to make deep postseason runs during his stint in the Windy City.
DeRozan left Chicago hoping to join an exciting team on the rise. However, Deebo would be forgiven for thinking that nothing much changed after Mike Brown got fired for failing to build on the Kings’ impressive 2023-24 campaign.
While the Bulls couldn’t do a lot for DeRozan’s Chi-Town return, he did appreciate what the team cooked up as tribute to his stint in Illinois.
DeMar DeRozan appreciates the Bulls’ gesture during his Chicago return with the Sacramento Kings
Chicago put together a video tribute that thanked DeRozan for the three seasons he donned their jersey. The fans also let DeMar know how much they appreciated his work through the voracious applause they gave him.
DeRozan talked about the gestures he got from the city, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier:
“Stuff like that goes a long way, man,” he said after the game about the video package and reception from fans. “I’m always humbled by any type of appreciation from my time anywhere.”
He also talked about his mindset when he first arrived in the summer of 2021 that helped him become a locker room leader and a reliable player during clutch situations:
“The first moment I came here I tried to give my all to this organization, to the city and I think it showed,” DeRozan said. “Genuinely putting everything into representing the Bulls. When I came here, I just think it showed I invited the culture of Chicago, everything. So it showed, I think when people see that, you get the genuine reaction in return.”
The 35-year-old forward put up a decent performance during his Kings’ 124-119 victory over Chicago. He finished the game with 21 points and three assists on 37 minutes of play, acting as a great supporting contributor behind De’Aaron Fox’s 26 and Domantas Sabonis’ 22.
DeRozan averaged an impressive 25.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals during his three-year stint with the Bulls. His production took a dive in his first season in Sacramento, but the Kings are hoping to see an improved performance out of him as they approach the trade deadline.
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