Derrick Rose, the No 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and the league’s MVP in 2011, announced his retirement on Thursday. At just 22, he became the youngest MVP in NBA history, a testament to his remarkable talent and the highlight of a 16-year career.
“You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain,” Rose posted on Instagram on Thursday in a heartfelt letter to the game. Rose was the league’s rookie of the year in 2008-09 for the Bulls, and he was named MVP just two seasons later. He was also an All-Star selection in three of his first four seasons.
A major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs sidelined him for almost two full seasons, and he considered stepping away from the game multiple times. However, he always found a way to return to the court. Besides the Bulls, Rose also played for New York, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Memphis. Last season, he returned to Memphis, the city where he spent his one season of college basketball.
In 24 games with the Grizzlies last season, Rose reflected on the significance of his return to Memphis. “It’s all full circle,” Rose said in April. “Coming back here, having my family here, my wife’s family is from here, being back in this arena, having some of the people that came to my college games actually come to my professional games here, it’s all love.” The Grizzlies expressed their gratitude in a statement, saying, “We are grateful for your meaningful contributions to this team and this city, and wish you all the best in this next chapter of life.”
Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games. Before his ACL tear 12 years ago, he averaged 21 points a game, and after the injury, he averaged 15.1 points per game. “With D-Rose, it was never a question of his talent,” said Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, a former teammate. “It was always about his health. And when he was healthy, everyone saw all the talent.”
Despite his knee troubles, Rose continued to showcase his MVP-level talent. In October 2018, he scored a career-high 50 points for Minnesota in a 128-125 win over Utah, a performance that moved him to tears. In December 2019, he had a 12-assist game for Detroit in a 115-107 win over Houston, his first such game in nearly eight years.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Chicago, Minnesota, and New York, praised his character in 2018. “I know the person that he is, the character that he has,” Thibodeau said. “And it shines through.” Rose was a serious candidate for the league’s sixth man of the year award in three consecutive seasons – 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 – and even received a first-place MVP vote again in the 2020-21 season, a decade after winning the award.
Rose’s rise to stardom was swift. As a rookie, he won the league’s skills challenge at the 2009 All-Star weekend, followed by rookie of the year and a 36-point playoff debut. Growing up in poverty in a Chicago suburb, basketball became his escape and a way to support his family. In 2006, he hit a shot to win an Illinois state high school championship. Just five years later, he was named MVP of the NBA.
“The kid from Englewood turned into a Chicago legend,” the Bulls posted on social media Thursday, along with a video of Rose’s highlights with the team.
