An NBA legend has decided to hang up his sneakers as Derrick Rose officially announced his retirement on Thursday morning after 15 seasons.
Rose will always be one of the biggest “what ifs” in NBA history as he became the youngest player to win an MVP at age 22 but then dealt with numerous injuries that hampered his career.
One person who looked at Rose as an equal is current Lakers star LeBron James as they battled for MVPs and in postseasons series’ over the years. They then even became teammates when Rose played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18, James’ final season before coming to L.A.
So after Rose announced his retirement, James took to Instagram and posted a series of stories to salute his former adversary and teammate:
LeBron James saluted the now-retired Derrick Rose with some IG stories: pic.twitter.com/uj2yg0DzTd
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) September 26, 2024
Rose often drew comparisons to James early in his career. He obviously wasn’t as big but was a fellow former No. 1 overall pick that was just as athletic and could impact the game in a similar way.
If it were not for Rose’s injuries then who knows how big the rivalry with James could have become, which is an understandable disappointment for basketball fans everywhere.
It is crazy to note though that Rose was drafted in 2008, which is five years after James. Only a handful of players from that draft class remain in the league, while LeBron continues to be one of the best players in the world as he heads into his 22nd season and seventh with the Lakers.
Anthony Davis grew up chasing Derrick Rose and LeBron James
One person who is likely disappointed seeing Derrick Rose retire is current Lakers star Anthony Davis as he previously talked about how he grew up chasing the fellow Chicago native as well as his current teammate LeBron James.
“All mine was LeBron and D-Rose,” Davis said of the players he chased. “D-Rose, being in Chicago, the Bulls games was always on, even if you had cable or not. So I was always able to watch him. When he went to college and able to get to the league and what he’s done for the game, and what he’s done for the city. It was a combination of both of those guys. I wasn’t on the scene, so I wasn’t watching any of those [players in his high school class].”
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