D Rose Calls It A Career

Chi-Town native Derrick Rose retires after 16 years. Here he displays his written letter of thanks to basketball.

Former Bulls star Derrick Rose recently announced via social media that he is retiring from the game of basketball at the age of 35. In that statement, Rose wrote a love letter to the sport he played professionally for 16 years.

“Thank you, my first love…You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain. You showed me what love truly meant,” Rose began.

Born and raised in Chicago, he played high school basketball at Simeon Career Academy on the city’s South Side, winning the Illinois Mr. Basketball Award in 2007. The honor is given to the best high school basketball player in the state of Illinois. Rose was also named a McDonald’s All American that year. He went on to play his college ball at the University of Memphis, and was drafted with the first overall pick to his hometown team, the Bulls, in 2008.

As a Bull, he won Rookie of the Year in the 2008-09 season, being the first Bull to do so since Elton Brand in the 1999-2000 season. He was also a three-time All-Star (2010-12), reached the All-NBA First-Team in 2011, and would go on to win MVP that season, joining Michael Jordan as the only players in Bulls history to receive the honor.

Rose graced the cover of True Star Magazine during his rookie year.

Unfortunately, after his 2011 MVP season, injuries derailed Rose’s career. He tore his ACL in Game 1 of the first round of the 2012 postseason, leading him to miss the entire 2012-13 season. He came back for the 2013-14 season, but suffered a season-ending meniscus injury only about a month into the season. He would return again for the 2014-15 season, but the lingering effects of these major injuries would lead to the end of his Bulls career.

Before the 2016-17 season, Rose was traded to the New York Knicks, and later went on to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Detroit Pistons before returning to the Knicks in 2021. He hit free agency following the 2022-23 season, and signed with his college town’s NBA franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, for the 2023-24 season, which would prove to be his last.

He finishes his 16-season career averaging 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Congratulations, D-Rose, on a fantastic career!