NBA Legend Derrick Rose Makes Personal Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 11:12 PM ET

Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose recently retired after 15 seasons in the NBA. Selected No. 1 overall by Chicago in the 2008 NBA draft, Rose quickly ascended to superstardom with the Bulls. Becoming the youngest league MVP in 2011, Rose helped lead Chicago to a 62-20 record before losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat.

Injuries unfortunately altered Rose's career trajectory, as he appeared in just 723 total games across his 16 years in the league (including 2012-13 when he missed the entire year). Finishing his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, Rose returned to where he played his collegiate basketball.

Spending one season in Memphis (2023-24), Rose appeared in just 24 games. While he showed flashes of ability, averaging 8.0 points in just 16.6 minutes per contest, he was unable to stay healthy and ultimately called it a career after that season.

Still maintaining a presence in the community with different initiatives off the court, Rose has not been entirely absent since his retirement. On Thursday, the three-time All-Star made an announcement on his latest personal venture.

In a post on Instagram, Rose announced he has launched a "knockout-style chess tournament" that features current and former NBA stars.

"Introducing Chesstival - a knockout-style chess tournament featuring NBA stars past and present, founded by former NBA MVP Derrick Rose and Freestyle Chess," Rose wrote in a joint post with Freestyle Chess. "Thanks to a partnership with Chess.com, $50,000 in total prize money will be donated to the charity of the winner’s choice."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Freestyle Chess (@freestyle_chess)

This news was first announced in an Instagram post earlier this week, but the details of Rose's involvement were not as clear. Thursday's post from Rose included a reel of him playing basketball and chess, along with the official details of this tournament. The post has accumulated over 4,300 likes and several comments, including one from Adidas Basketball, who Rose remains affiliated with.

While he is no longer in the NBA, Rose is using his platform to bring different stars together for this initiative that plans to donate at least $50,000 to charity.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: