The Chicago Bulls are not tanking, and their efforts against old friends DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and the Sacramento Kings underscored that point.

DeRozan, LaVine, and Co. arrived having won back-to-back outings. The six-time All-Star, DeRozan, also indulged in some pre-game banter, referring to several of the Bulls’ youngsters as his “sons.”

With a 128-116 victory, though, it was the Bulls who prodded DeRozan in the end.

“That didn’t age well,” Bulls guard Dalen Terry – one of DeRozan’s “sons – said postgame, per The Chicago Sun-Time’s Joe Cowley on March 21. “Who’s daddy now?”

DeRozan had FaceTimed his former teammates via Terry’s phone ahead of the contest.

“Yeah, it was Dalen,” DeRozan said when asked who he called to begin the chat, per Cowley. “My baby boy always answers. He knows to pick up the phone when Daddy calls.”

DeMar DeRozan Helped Rear Young Bulls

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball spoke about DeRozan’s influence in the locker room, noting the Kings star has the “big brother” of the group when asked for his top three teammates. DeRozan, 35, is eight years older than Ball and 13 years older than Terry.

“I’ve had great teammates; a lot more than three,” Ball said on “The WAE! Show” podcast on March 7. “I actually got to put DeMar at [No.] 1. Out of everybody I’ve been around, I lowkey respected him the most. He definitely got the most respect for me, for sure. Real, true vet. And I respect everybody that I’m around, you know what I’m saying? But on some real big bro s***, I would say – if I had to pick a big bro – I would say it’s DeMar.

“Just had to pay my respect.”

Terry raved about his relationship with DeRozan and LaVine.

“Oh, man. It’s everything, for real. Because people really don’t understand, it’s hard not playing as a rookie. A top-20 pick? So I just gotta sit here, wait my turn. But at the end of the day then, these the guys I’m playing behind. It’s future Hall of Famers, in my opinion,” Terry said on the “QMO Pod” in September 2023. “They’re All-Stars. I’m a rookie. I might as well just sit here, soak some game up, and just talk to them.

“That’s just our relationship. Even Zach. Zach always – they always talking s*** to me. But it’s just – it’s all love at the end of the day, for real.”

DeMar DeRozan ‘Rooting’ for Former Teammates

DeRozan’s impact on the Bulls’ youngsters cannot be overstated. He took Patrick Williams under his wing, demanding the 2020 No. 4 overall pick work out with him in LA during their offseasons as teammates.

Terry, the No. 20 overall pick in 2022, joined them following his rookie season.

DeRozan reflected on his time with the Bulls and his former teammates fondly, saying he has kept up with them this season and is rooting for them.

“Rooting for all those guys, honestly,” DeRozan said, per Cowley. “I watch every single game when we don’t play. Even if we’re playing at the same time, I check the box score and see how guys do. Obviously, I still talk to my sons every day, make sure they’re making their bed and everything. It was great to see Coby [White] thriving the way I knew he would be. You know, working out with him every summer, seeing how much he loved the game, how much he put into it, it was dope to see.

“In the group chat [Wednesday] night, I was talking trash to [Williams] and [Terry] about them having nightmares just thinking about guarding me. So it’s fun, and it’s a different type of excitement you have going against familiar faces.”

This was the final meeting between the Bulls and Kings, so DeRozan will not face his old friends again until next season barring a surprise Finals run for both.