Throughout his tragic yet inspiring basketball career, Derrick Rose has maintained resilience and a will to push through for the love of basketball. But despite this, last year was the time that the Chicago Bulls legend was completely on the verge of walking away from the game for good.
D-Rose admitted to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that he seriously contemplated retiring after the 2022-23 season, which served as his final year for the New York Knicks.
"Around that time I was still trying to figure out if I still wanted to play," Rose said. "Just trying to figure out my route, if I wanted to stay or leave.”
Nearing the end
Rose played for 3 ½ seasons as a Knick, but last season served as the year in which it appeared that he was in the twilight stage of his professional career.
Though the Knicks enjoyed a renaissance campaign last year, Derrick meanwhile saw a significant downgrade to both his role and numbers. From being a regular contributor, he eventually dropped out of coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotational depth as he only logged 27 game appearances en route to 5.6 points, 1.7 dimes and 1.5 boards averages.
D-Rose cemented himself as a Bulls great who won the 2011 MVP award, secured three All-Star selections and carried the franchise to a significant contending stretch.
Roses have bloomed
The retirement ideas of D-Rose were completely shut down when the Memphis Grizzlies gave him a chance to continue playing. As the Knicks declined his team option, which made him a free agent, he proceeded to sign a two-year, $6.5 million deal with the Western Conference team last offseason.
As a member of the Grizzlies, he appeared for 19 games in which he averaged 8.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 boards. While Memphis isn't planning to compete this year due to injuries, they meanwhile expect D-Rose to have an important role in their redemption plans.
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