Former MVP Derrick Rose is retiring after a 16-year NBA career.
“I feel confident in my decision because I’ve given my all to basketball,” Rose told ESPN. “Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now it’s important that I give my all to my family, and they deserve that.”
Rose, 35, announced his decision on social media Thursday morning and also took out full-page ads in local newspapers in the six cities where he has played in the NBA – Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis – thanking fans throughout the city.
The Memphis Grizzlies last week granted Rose’s request to leave after the final year of his contract.
Rose entered the league as the first overall pick by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, in the 2008 draft. The 6-foot-3 point guard’s commanding presence, combined with his athleticism and fearless attitude, quickly established him as one of the NBA’s most exciting young stars.
Rose won Rookie of the Year in 2008-09 and was an All-Star three seasons after that, and in 2010-11, at age 22, he became the youngest player in NBA history to win MVP honors, averaging 25.0 points and 7.7 assists while leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The trajectory of Rose’s career changed when he tore his ACL in the first round of the 2012 playoffs. He missed the entire next season and played just 10 games in 2013-14.
Chicago traded Rose to the New York Knicks in the 2016 offseason, ending an eight-year stint with the Bulls. Rose was something of a journeyman in the latter stages of his career, as he was often plagued by injuries.
Rose finished his career with 518 starts and 723 appearances, averaging 17.4 points and 5.2 assists per game. He played in just 77 games over the past three seasons, including 24 in his lone season with Memphis, where he starred for the college team that reached the 2008 national championship game.