Why did former Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose retire from the NBA?

Following his recent release by the Memphis Grizzlies, it’s not entirely surprising to see the former league MVP choosing to call it quits rather than seek out a new team. Indeed, after 15 seasons in the professional Game that were dogged by injury, it’s probably for the best.

Derrick Rose announces retirement from the NBA

On Thursday morning, former Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose announced his retirement from the NBA after a decade and a half in the league. Via a post on his Instagram account, Rose alluded to the announcement. “The psychological assumption automatically provides the means to fulfill the dream desire,” he wrote. With that, a career that saw him play for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and most recently the Memphis Grizzlies, has finally come to an end.

Interestingly, Rose also took out advertisements in the newspapers of those six cities, where he also penned an ode to the game of basketball. In a kind gesture, the Bulls have since posted a tribute video to Rose on the team’s official account on X (formerly known as Twitter). Where history is concerned, Rose was of course the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and to be frank, showed why he was from the get-go, quickly becoming one of the league’s best players. A prolific scorer by nature, Rose would go on to pick up the Rookie of the Year award that first season as a 20-year-old with the Chicago Bulls. To that end, it came as no surprise when he was named an All-Star the very next year. It didn’t stop there either as he would become the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP award when he did so in 2011.

Yet, as with every great story, there is always an element of tragedy and so it was that injuries began to take their toll on a player who seemed destined to become a legend. Following the season in which he was crowned the league’s best, Rose would be limited to just 39 Games played in the 2011-12 season. Then, it got worse. During the first round of the playoffs that year, Rose tore his ACL which resulted in him missing the entirety of the 2012-13 season.

Though he returned from injury, it was clear that he was not the same player and so his journeyman status began as bounced between the above-mentioned teams. Ultimately, Derrick Rose will be remembered for what he was i.e., an incredible player, but there will always be an element of sadness when thinking of what could have been. Conversely, Rose himself appears to be at peace. “Basketball was and always will be my first love,” Rose said. “As a teenager, I had a goal of becoming an NBA player, and I achieved that. This isn’t a goodbye to the Game I love; it’s a thank you.”