Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose has announced his retirement as a basketball player.
Rose confirmed the decision in a post on Instagram and, according to Malika Andrews and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, by taking out full-page ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played in: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.
“Knowing that I gave my all to the game, I feel confident in my decision,” Rose told ESPN. “Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now, it’s important that I give my all to my family — they deserve that.”
Rose added in a statement to Shams Charania of The Athletic: “The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball.”
Rose, who will turn 36 next Friday, was selected first overall in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record.
The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.
However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury.
The 6’3″ guard ultimately made it back to the court on a more regular basis in ’14/15, but he only appeared in more than 51 games in a season twice in his final 10 NBA seasons as he continued to be affected by health issues that sapped him of the speed and explosiveness he displayed in his first few years.
Rose was still an effective role player when healthy, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2019, 2020, and 2021 for the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, but his injury woes prevented him from fully delivering on the potential to be a longtime NBA star that he showed early in his career.
Rose will call it a career with averages of 17.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG in 723 career regular season games (30.5 MPG). He also made 52 postseason appearances and put up 21.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG in those outings. He made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls during his MVP year in 2011, though he never played in the NBA Finals. In addition to suiting up for the Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, he spent time with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies.
Rose had been under contract with Memphis for the 2024/25 season, but requested his release and gave up his full $3.3MM guaranteed salary for the year as part of that agreement.
As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network tweets, there are no immediate plans for Rose to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Bulls, but the organization will almost certainly honor its former star at some point this season.
Enjoy your retirement DRose.
MVP MVP MVP
Thank you for some magical years in Chicago and afterwards. Inspired my love for the game as a kid and so happy to see this man succeed the way he has.
A guy who was much closer to a player with the 3 career All-Star appearances he received rather than the hagiography people applied to him up until like 2021. The injuries obviously killed him, but you had Bulls fans and casuals clinging onto the MVP season for a decade thinking he was still some sort of star. It was annoying.
He was never going to be the next MJ, but fans’ woes stemmed from how young he was when the injuries amassed. 21 year old MVP in his third szn.
Had he never gotten hurt, which is obviously purely hypothetical, it’s feasible that he would’ve battled Steph for best pg in the league. Bulls would’ve been a legit contender especially with Jimmy’s ascendance.
Much of the love shown for DRose after his injuries, at least for me, was due to A) how legit and fun that brief run of excellence was and B) recognizing the personal and emotional turmoil involved in his comeback journey. Obviously he was a role player in his later years, but he always meant more to bulls fans than just some random 3-time all star.
I get it for Bulls fans. He looked like he was primed for stardom for a decade. But that dream was gone by 2015 and some people kept insisting in the middle of the 2010s and even later that he was still a star.
Ultimately, he won’t make the HOF and I don’t know Chicago even retires his number. His MVP looks really random in the grand scheme of players who have won that award, up there with Unseld and Cowens, who wasn’t even first-team All-NBA when he won.
Cry more Lebron fan
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you one of the casuals I’m talking about.
I said nothing about LeBron and no clue why you’d think I’m a fan of his. And if I was, what would have have to cry about? Bron has 4 more titles and 3 more MVPs than Rose.
Imagine being a fan of lebron in 2011. Couldn’t be me
Everyone thinks you’re cool because you’re a Bron hater dude!
Liking your own comments is loser material, also. Soft-serve hateration.
Good idea didnt think of that. Just liked them so I could get them to 2 each
If only Thibs wasn’t as stubborn as he was to keep you in during a blowout of G1 that fateful day, who knows what would’ve happened that season for the Bulls. But it was fun watching you ball out in Chicago for sure!
Thanks for the memories, D-Rose! Best of luck in retirement
He def shouldn’t have been in the game, but untimely not Thibs’ fault imo. The injuries were inevitable w that version of him – for me, the real what-if is had he changed his playstyle from the start
Wasn’t a big fan of Rose in Chicago, but once he joined the Knicks, I really got a feel for how good of a dude he is.
Great career, even with the injuries cutting it down. All the best in the future D-Rose.
Now, the big debate, Hall of Famer or not???
he probably shouldn’t, but part of me thinks he probably will – bar for entry for the hall is very low, and every MVP in history has made it. Don’t know if the league will break that trend
“Wasn’t a big fan of Rose in Chicago, but once he joined the Knicks, I really got a feel for how good of a dude he is.”
He joined the Knicks in 2016, same year he was found liable for sexual assault. I got a good good feel of how dude he was as well.
You may, in the future, want to check yourself before posting something this. Here, maybe feel free to do so after the fact.
I’m not sure exactly what you’re trying to say here but ok dude.