Derrick Rose, a No. 1 overall pick in 2008 and the 2011 NBA MVP, Announces Retirement

Derrick Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and the 2011 NBA MVP, announced his retirement on Thursday, AP reported. Rose, who also won Rookie of the Year in the 2008-09 season, was selected as an All-Star in three of his first four NBA seasons before suffering a significant knee injury in the 2012 playoffs. This injury caused him to miss almost two full seasons, leading him to contemplate retirement multiple times, but he always managed to return to the game.

Throughout his career, Rose played for six different teams: the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Memphis Grizzlies. His final NBA season was spent with the Grizzlies in Memphis, a city where he had previously played college basketball. Reflecting on his experience in Memphis, Rose shared on social media, "You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain."

Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists over a span of 723 regular-season games. Although numerous injuries, including at least four knee surgeries, marred his career, Rose continued to persevere. He took a break during the 2017-18 season to assess his future amidst ankle issues and missed almost two full seasons following his ACL injury in 2012.

In his final statements, Rose talked about the significance of returning to Memphis: "It's all full circle," he said in April. "Coming back here, having my family here, my wife's family is from here, being back in this arena, and seeing familiar faces from my college days – it’s all love." Before his major injury, he averaged 21 points per game, and in the seasons that followed, he maintained an average of 15.1 points per game.

Earlier, SSP wrote that Dubois poised to tackle Usyk in the next big fight.