Why did Derrick Rose retire? Former Bulls star walks away after MVP career stunted by injuries

Dan Treacy

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Why did Derrick Rose retire? Former Bulls star walks away after MVP career stunted by injuries image

The player who electrified Chicago more than any other Bulls player in the post-Jordan era is walking away from basketball.

Derrick Rose is retiring, he told The Athletic's Shams Charania on Thursday, ending a 16-year run that saw him become the youngest MVP in NBA history before injuries derailed what some believed was the potential to have an all-time great career.

Rose spent his final few seasons with five different teams, but he remained beloved in Chicago for the brief, but dynamic, stretch he put together in the early years of his career.

Here's a closer look at Rose's career and his decision to step away.

MORE: AI predicts Derrick Rose's career without knee injuries

Why did Derrick Rose retire?

Rose told The Athletic he's retiring because he wants "to show the world who I am beyond basketball."

While Rose was an outstanding player at his peak, a litany of injuries, starting with a devastating 2012 ACL tear, made retirement a major talking point over the final years of his career. Speculation started as early as 2017, when he stepped away from the Cavaliers to evaluate his NBA future.

Rose decided to continue playing and caught fire with the Timberwolves a season later, but his playing time diminished over the last handful of seasons, and he missed a large chunk of the 2023-24 season in Memphis due to injury. Rose was waived by the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

"Whether good or bad, everyone has a 'What if' story in their life," Rose told The Athletic. "Even if I could, I wouldn't change mine, because it's what's helped me find real joy."

Despite struggling with injuries after his ACL tear at the end of his fourth season, Rose still stuck around for 16 years and proved at multiple points that he could still score at a high level. At his peak, few were better. Rose was the youngest MVP in NBA history when he averaged 25.0 points and 7.7 assists for the Bulls in 2010-11 at just 22 years old.

MORE: Zach LaVine embracing Bulls' youth movement

Derrick Rose teams

Rose spent his NBA career with six different teams:

  • Chicago Bulls (2008-16)
  • New York Knicks (2016-17, 2021-23)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (2017-18)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (2018-19)
  • Detroit Pistons (2019-21)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (2023-24)

MORE: Grizzlies set to retire Tony Allen's number

Where did Derrick Rose go to college?

Rose spent his only collegiate season at Memphis under coach John Calipari, helping lead the Tigers to the brink of a national championship.

Rose averaged 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists over 40 games at Memphis, shooting 47.7 percent from the field as a freshman. The Tigers nearly won it all in the NCAA Tournament, but a late comeback by Kansas forced overtime, and Memphis would fall just short.

Rose was taken No. 1 overall by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Derrick Rose Hall of Fame chances

Every Hall of Fame-eligible player who has won an NBA MVP award has made the Hall of Fame, but Rose is quite a unique case.

In terms of counting stats, Rose doesn't measure up. Less than 13,000 points isn't typically enough to reach the Hall of Fame, a career average of 17.4 points and 5.2 assists per game in Rose's era doesn't tend to be Hall of Fame-worthy without an excellent defensive track record or multiple championships.

Then again, the Basketball Hall of Fame has opened its doors to plenty of debatable players in recent years. Former Spurs guard Manu Ginobili made it in after averaging only 13.3 points per game, but he did win four NBA titles and an Olympic gold medal for Argentina. Ginobili also played in over 300 more games than Rose.

Rose's peak was excellent, but he was All-Star worthy for only three seasons. It's difficult to imagine a former MVP not making the Hall of Fame given how strong a peak has to be to win the award, but Rose's case will test the voters.

Derrick Rose stats

Averages

Games723
Points17.4
Rebounds3.2
Assists5.2
Steals0.7
Blocks0.3
FG%45.6%
3P%31.6%

Totals

Games723
Points12,573
Rebounds2,324
Assists3,770
Steals536
Blocks242

Derrick Rose retirement reactions

Former teammates and opponents of Rose still have plenty of love for the former MVP, and many of them chimed in after his retirement on Thursday. One player who was both a teammate and frequent opponent of Rose was LeBron James, who said Thursday that the former Bulls guard is "forever immortalized."

More reactions rolled in after the announcement, including tributes from Trae Young and Dwight Howard.

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy Photo

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.