The Chicago Bulls star, Derrick Rose recently shocked the NBA community by announcing his retirement. Rose was a very explosive, athletic, and skillful player. He played for many teams, most notably the Chicago Bulls. Rose’s career had its ups and downs, yet no matter what Rose will always be held in high regard and be a fan favorite.
Born October 4th, 1988 in Chicago Illinois, Derrick Rose grew up in a basketball family and fell in love with the sport from day one. As a freshman Rose played on the sophomore basketball team, who would go on to win the sophomore city championship eventually. On his Varsity debut, Rose had 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals over Thornwood High School in a sold-out game filled with college scouts and coaches. He led the Wolverines to a 30–5 mark while averaging 19.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.4 steals, but the season ended after a loss in state regionals. Rose would continue to dominate, leading him to be ranked the 5th best prospect in the nation by Sports Illustrated.
Rose had many offers but accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Memphis Tigers. Rose along with his strong team started the season ranked 3rd in the nation. Memphis sprinted to a 26–0 start and claimed the number-one ranking in the country for the first time in over 25 years. Rose averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.7 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game during the regular season earning him numerous awards such as the All American Team Honors. He was also a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as well as the John R. Wooden Award. In a match-up against UCLA in the Final Four, Rose finished with 25 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Tigers to an 85–67 win and a trip to the NCAA championship game against the Kansas Jayhawks. Rose scored 17 points on 7–of–17 shooting, along with six rebounds and seven assists, but missed a critical free throw at the end of the second half as Memphis fell in overtime, 75–68. Although they lost, the team had a spectacular record of 38-2 and Rose was named to the All-Final Four team. After having 1 strong year playing college ball, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA draft.
Rose ended up being drafted to the Chicago Bull’s number one overall. Rose needed no time to get warmed up to the NBA as he became the first Bulls draftee to score 10 points or more in his first 10 games since Michael Jordan! The Bulls finished that year with a 12-4 spurt to qualify for the 7th seed in the eastern conference. Rose also won Rookie of the Year, joining Michael Jordan and Elton Brand as the only other Bulls to do so. He averaged 16.8 points on 47.5% field goal shooting, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game and was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In the first playoff game, Rose would face off against the defending champions, Boston Celtics. He would go on to score 36 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds leading the Bulls to an overtime win, 105-103. The Bulls ended up being defeated by the Celtics in 7 games, but with Derrick on the team, the future in Chicago was bright.
Rose’s second year started with an ankle injury that made him miss the entire preseason. When he came back during the regular season he had limited minutes due to his injury, but when he did play it seemed as if nothing was wrong. He was still putting up the same stats and making the same big plays as before. The Bulls would eventually make it to the playoffs again, but fall short to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games. In his 2010-2011 season, Rose had his MVP season. He had career-high stats highlighted by his career-high 42 points. At the end of the season, the Bulls finished with a 62-20 record. At season’s end, Rose became only the third player since the 1972–73 NBA season to record 2,000 points and 600 assists in a single season. The other two players were LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Rose was named the NBA Most Valuable Player, joining Jordan as the only players to receive the award in Chicago Bulls history.
During the next season, Rose suffered an ACL tear that would affect his career forever. He would be helped off the court in the first playoff game, never to return. The next season, Rose made 0 appearances in any games. Although being cleared by doctors, he wanted to make sure he was 100% healed and playing at his best. He decided to make a return the next year during the 2013-2014 season. He would once again, during a game vs the Trail Blazers suffer a right knee injury. An MRI showed Rose had torn his meniscus. The next day Bulls announced he was once again out for the season. During his next seasons with the Bulls, Rose dealt with many injuries that complicated his ability to play. When the Bulls missed the playoffs during their 2015-2016 season, they knew that they needed a change. Rose wasn´t playing badly, but he wasn’t the pre-injury MVP player we saw at the beginning of his career.
For the rest of his career, Rose bounced around the leagues to all different teams. He would end up playing on the Knicks, Cavaliers, Pistons, and Timberwolves, and end his career playing one season with the Grizzlies. Rose indicated his intention to return to the Grizzlies for the 2024–25 season. However, on September 23, 2024, he was waived by the Grizzlies. Then on September 26th, he announced his retirement. This was a decision that shocked the NBA world.
Derrick Rose was an MVP player from the beginning. He had some of the greatest stats and was one of the most hardworking players. He is a fan favorite and he was extremely entertaining to watch whether you were a fan of the team he was on or not. Rose’s career was heavily affected by injuries that changed the level he played at. Despite this, Derrick Rose’s story during his time in the league is a big, what if? What if he didn’t have so many injuries? What could he have achieved at full health for his entire career? That’s one thing we will never know. What we do know is despite all the ups and downs of Rose’s NBA career, he is a player who will always be remembered as a player who was one of the greats in his prime.
David • Oct 15, 2024 at 7:43 pm
My real good friend and mentor