Derrick Rose reached heights few NBA players ever have, but he doesn’t believe that will guarantee his place in the minds of future basketball fans.
Rose, who became the youngest MVP in NBA history at just 22 years old, opened up about his legacy and admitted he expects future generations to eventually forget about his career.
“That I played hard. I was a winner,” Rose said. “And to be honest, the way my story went, they’re not going to remember me.”
It’s a surprising admission from someone who was once one of the biggest stars in basketball.
D-Rose pointed toward NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as examples of how even some of the greatest players in league history can become less familiar to younger generations over time.
For those who weren’t around to witness Rose at his peak, his rise was incredibly fast.
After winning Rookie of the Year, Rose quickly developed into an All-Star before producing his historic 2010-11 campaign. He averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists per game while leading his hometown Chicago Bulls to a 62-20 record, the best mark in the NBA.
Chicago reached the Eastern Conference Finals that season, while Rose beat out the likes of LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant to claim MVP.
But his career changed dramatically during the 2012 playoffs.
He tore his ACL in Chicago’s opening-round series against Philadelphia and missed the entire following season. He later suffered right meniscus tears in 2013 and 2015 before tearing his left meniscus in 2017.
Those injuries prevented Rose from ever fully returning to the explosive level that made him one of basketball’s most exciting players.
Still, Rose managed to reinvent himself and extend his career well beyond his MVP years, including an unforgettable 50-point performance with Minnesota in 2018.
Rose may believe younger generations won’t remember his story, but his place in the record books isn’t going anywhere.
More than 15 years after winning the award, he remains the youngest MVP in NBA history.
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