Derrick Rose has one of the greatest come-up stories in NBA history. As a kid born and raised in Chicago, being drafted by the Bulls was a fairytale in itself. Rose was soft-spoken, reserved, and didn’t bring too much attention to himself.
That held true until he began to dominate the NBA in only his third season. The 22-year-old became the youngest MVP in NBA history, a remarkable feat as well as a treasured memory for his loyal home-town fans.
However, things would quickly go downhill for Rose, following the end of the 2011-12 regular season. In the final minutes of a playoff game, he suffered arguably the most tragic injury in basketball. Rose tore his ACL and sadly has never been the same since. He came back a year later with the Bulls, but fans and coaches alike could instantly tell it wasn’t the same anymore.
Rose didn’t have his unguardable explosiveness anymore, and the injury seemed to have shaken up his confidence too. After the 2015 season, Chicago delt Rose to the New York Knicks. At the time there was speculation on whether Rose had pushed for the move, but recent news has clarified that it was exactly the opposite.
Derrick Rose’s agent B.J Armstrong was quoted saying this on the Bulls Talk Podcast:
Clearly, leaving the Bulls was never the intention of Rose. In light of this news, Rose’s story only feels more melancholy. He suffered a devastating setback and was traded from his hometown.On the bright side, Rose appeared to have finally found a role in the NBA for himself after years of struggling.
This year with the Detroit Pistons, Rose has been putting up 18.1 points and 5.6 assists per game, encouraging numbers for the 31-year old. Although his prime may be behind him, Rose has still put together a Hall Of Fame worthy career and will go down in history for his memorable MVP year.
