The Tragic Story of Derrick Rose
15 years into an otherwise illustrious and accomplished career, Derrick Rose remains one of the greatest ‘What If?’ stories in the history of American sports.
He started his career as the #1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and was chosen by the Chicago Bulls. The shadow of Michael Jordan still looms over the Bulls franchise to this day, and the sports world was extremely excited for what may have been the second coming of .
By 2011, with just three years in the league, Rose had become the youngest MVP in NBA history at the age of 22. Although his championship dreams that year were vanquished by the Miami Heat, it took a peak Lebron James and Dwayne Wade to stop him. Even though he didn’t make it to the NBA Finals, nobody would dare to consider referring to D-Rose as any kind of ‘loser.’
By the next season, he had the world in his hand. The Bulls finished their season with 50 wins. However, this is where his tale began to take a terrible turn.
The injury
In the first game of the 2012 playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Chicago Bulls were dominant and had time to spare. They were up by 12 points with 1 minute and 22 seconds left, but during a play, Derrick landed awkwardly from a jump. A hush of uncomfortable worry struck the crowd as he writhed in pain, clutching his leg.
He was removed from the game, and an MRI was later performed, revealing that he sustained an ACL tear that could take up to one year to recover.
What is the ACL?
The ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament in your knee. It connects the thigh (femur) to your shin (tibia) and is guarded by the kneecap (patella). The ACL holds the tibia in place and allows you to rotate your knee. It also keeps the knee stable, as it prevents the knee from rotating or bending too much to the point of injury.
ACL tears are graded in 3 tiers.
1: Partially damaged. The ACL endures mild damage and is stretched.
2: Loosened and partially torn. This causes pain and instability to whoever is suffering from the injury
3: Complete tear. It is accompanied by swelling, bruising, and severe pain.
Derrick Rose suffered a complete tear. This forced him to miss the rest of the following season. The loss of such an important asset and leader
Relocation
When he returned to the Bulls in the 2013-2014 season after an 18 month rehabilitation process, it was very clear that this was not the same athlete. He lacked the energy, strength, and drive that he had once before. The coaching staff kept taking him out and putting him back into their starting five. Chicago had stopped believing in Rose, and it seemed that he couldn’t help but stop believing in himself too.
Rose would then spend the following years bouncing back and forth between different teams, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies.
All of this in mind, to be able to play in the NBA means that you are an elite athlete, one of the best in the world bar none. He has had many incredible performances post-injury, most notably a career high 50 point game as part of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs the Utah Jazz. The fans’ chants echoed throughout the arena, “MVP! MVP! MVP!”
The Dream
In 2021, a fan saw Rose outside of the Kerlan Jobe orthopedic facility at Cedars-Sinai. The young fan kept telling Rose “he’s the man,” but Rose solemnly responded “Nah man, I wish. Not anymore. I wish.”
Derrick is set to return in the 2024-2025 season pending doctor’s approval.
Making it to the NBA at all is the fulfillment of a dream for millions of people. It is a gigantic accomplishment to make it there, let alone stay there for years. maybe Derrick Rose could have surpassed Michael Jordan as the greatest player to ever wear a Bulls Jersey. Even without a championship ring, he’s pretty close to the top of the list.
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