Born in Chicago, Rose learned the game of basketball from his three older brothers.[1] In high school, he won two state championships and was rated by scouts as the top point guard prospect in the country after graduation.[citation needed] He played for the University of Memphis Tigers and reached the NCAA national championship game in 2008. Shortly after, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls.[2] In his first year of professional basketball, Rose was voted the Rookie of the Year[3] and was selected to the All-Rookie Team.[4] In his second season, Rose was selected as an NBA All-Star for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game;[5] he was also named a starter for the U.S. Team at the 2010 FIBA World Championships.[6] Since being drafted, Rose has led the Bulls to the NBA Playoffs every year. In 2011, he received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the youngest player ever to win this award. He joined Michael Jordan as the only Chicago Bulls players to win the honor.
In 2009, an NCAA investigation revealed that Rose's SAT scores had been invalidated, making him retroactively ineligible to play for Memphis. As a result, the NCAA vacated Memphis's entire 2007–08 season.[
Early life
Derrick Rose was born and raised in the Englewood area, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side. He was Brenda Rose's fourth son after Dwayne, Reggie and Allan, but the first in seven years. All three were talented basketball players who taught Rose the in and outs of basketball on nearby courts.[1] As his talent for the sport grew, Rose began to attract much more outside attention in Chicago's basketball circles, leading his mother and brothers to restrict outside contact to him, fearing his road to the NBA would be exploited and derailed by outside parties such as street agents, such as with the case with former Chicago prospect Ronnie Fields
College
Rose accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Memphis Tigers under John Calipari, who recruited him after seeing the high schooler play in an AAU game.[33] Strong efforts were made by Indiana University and in-state University of Illinois to sign Rose to their own programs.[34] Illinois in particular planned to pair Rose and their five-star recruit Eric Gordon, who had played AAU basketball with Rose, together.[35] Gordon however retracted his verbal commitment from the Fighting Illini, opting to play for Indiana, and Rose subsequently gave his verbal commitment before the start of his senior season.[36] Rose chose Memphis because of the school's history of putting players in the NBA and the prospect of Rod Strickland, a 17 year veteran of the league, mentoring him. Rose switched to #23, unable to wear his customary #25, retired by the school in honor of Penny Hardaway.[37]
With the addition of Rose and led by veteran upperclassmen Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the Tigers started out the season ranked third in the nation. Memphis sprinted to a 26–0 start and claimed the number one ranking in the country for the first time in over 25 years before falling to the University of Tennessee Volunteers 66–62 in February.[38] Memphis was able to bounce back and capture the Conference USA Tournament to qualify for the "Big Dance" with a 33–1 record.[39] Rose averaged 14.9 points per game, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game during the regular season and earned All-American Third Team honors among others.[40] He finished as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as well as the John R. Wooden Award.[41]
Memphis was seeded No. 1 in the South Region and blew out most of its competition on its way to the Final Four. Rose earned high praise for his increased focus on defense, hounding Texas Longhorn guard D.J. Augustin into a low-percentage game in the Elite Eight.[42] In a match-up against the UCLA in the Final Four, Rose finished with 25 points and 9 rebounds while putting tight pressure on Bruins' point Darren Collison to lead the Tigers to the NCAA championship game against the University of Kansas Jayhawks with a 85–67 victory.[43][44] The win set a NCAA mark for most wins in a season (38).[45] Against Kansas, Rose scored 17 points on 7–17 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and dished seven assists, but missed a critical free throw at the end of the second half, and Memphis fell in overtime, 75–68.[46] Memphis concluded the season 38–2. Rose was named to the All-Final Four team after averaging 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6 assists during the tourney.[47]
On April 15, Rose declared for the 2008 NBA Draft.[48]
Grading controversy:
According to the University of Memphis' legal counsel Sheri Lipman, a month after the loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, the NCAA sent a letter to the school stating that Rose had "an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School". The next January, the NCAA sent another letter, charging Memphis with knowing that Rose had someone else take his SAT for him.[49] Memphis started its own investigation and sent its response back on April 24.[50]On May 28, the Memphis Commercial Appeal obtained the letter through the Freedom of Information Act and released it. Although the player's name was redacted due to privacy laws, process of elimination and sources revealed the player as Derrick Rose. The next day in a separate investigation, James Sullivan, Inspector General of the Chicago Public Schools district's Board of Education, released a report of his investigation stating that four student-athletes of a CPS school had one-month grade boosts to alter their college transcripts.[51] The Chicago Sun-Times revealed the school as Simeon Career Academy and that three of the four were Rose and his former teammates Kevin Johnson and Tim Flowers, prominent members of the back-to-back championship teams.[51] The newspaper claimed that Rose's grade was changed from a D to a C.[51] Another part of the report stated that "high school staff lost the original permanent records for three of the above mentioned students athletes" (including the unknown four).[52] Sullivan started the investigation because "none of the grade changes were supported by any documentation”. He also failed to find a suspect as "at least seven people at Simeon had the ability to access student grades and records".[51] Illinois High School Association (IHSA) executive director Marty Hickman reacted by saying, "It is obvious that this is worth taking a look into".[52] Robert Smith, who coached the Wolverines from 2004 to 2007, denied any wrongdoing.[51] District spokeswoman Monique Bond said the students involved probably didn't know about the grade change.
Additionally, allegations surfaced that Rose's brother, Reggie, had been allowed to travel with the team for free on several occasions.[53]
Memphis contended that it had learned of the allegations about Rose's SAT score shortly after he enrolled at the school. It conducted its own investigation, in which Rose was questioned by four school officials. Ultimately, Memphis was unable to find any evidence that Rose had cheated based on what was available at the time, and cleared him to play.[54]
Rose released a statement through his lawyer Daniel E. Reidy: “Mr. Rose is aware of the allegations reported in the press. Mr. Rose cooperated fully with the University of Memphis' athletic and legal departments’ investigation of this issue when he was a student, and that investigation uncovered no wrongdoing on his part."
On August 20, the NCAA vacated Memphis' 2007–08 season. It took the line that even though Rose's score hadn't been thrown out until after the season, strict liability required that he be declared ineligible.[8] It also determined that even without the questions about his test score, Rose would have lost his eligibility in December 2007 due to Reggie being allowed to travel for free
NBA career
2008–09 season: Rookie of the Year
Rose was selected first overall in the draft by the Chicago Bulls,[2] an unlikely event considering that Chicago had only a 1.7% chance of capturing the top pick in the draft lottery held that past May.[56] He was selected to the U.S. Select Team to scrimmage against and prepare the National Team for the Olympics in Beijing.[57][58][59] In mid-July, he played two games in the Orlando Pro Summer League until forced out by tendonitis in his right knee, ending his summer,[60] but returned in October to play all eight preseason games.[61]
Rose started his rookie year strong, becoming the first Bulls draftee to score 10 points or more in his first 10 games since Michael Jordan,[62] and earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for November and December.[63][64] During the All-Star Weekend, Rose played in the Rookie Challenge,[65] and won the Skills Challenge, where he beat out several All-Stars to become the first rookie to claim the trophy.[66] Overcoming a January and February slump, Rose returned to form and won monthly rookie honors in March. Meanwhile, the Bulls, re-energized by the trade deadline acquisitions of John Salmons and Brad Miller, finished the regular season on a 12–4 spurt to qualify for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. Chicago's late push contributed to Rose's winning Rookie of the Year, joining Michael Jordan (1985) and Elton Brand (2000) as the only Bulls to do so.[3] He was also the first number-one draft pick since LeBron James to win the award. He averaged 16.8 points on 47.5% field goal shooting, 6.3 assists (leading all rookies) and 3.9 rebounds per game and was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[4]
In his playoff debut against the defending champion Boston Celtics, Rose recorded 36 points (tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA record for points scored by a rookie in his playoff debut set 1970), 11 assists, and 4 rebounds as the Bulls prevailed in a 105–103 overtime win on the road.[67][68][69] Rose became the second player in NBA history to record 35 points and 10 assists in his playoff debut, after Chris Paul. Rose averaged 19.7 points on 47.5% shooting, 6.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in his playoff debut, as the Bulls were defeated by the Celtics in 7 games.
2009–10 season: All Star bid
Rose's sophomore season started off on a bad note when he injured his ankle in his first preseason game. Rose would go on to miss the rest of the preseason. Rose did start the Bulls season opener against the San Antonio Spurs but played limited minutes in a win. Rose's ankle bothered him for most of November, but as his ankle healed, his game improved greatly. On January 28, 2010, Derrick Rose was elected to his first career All Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference, making him the first Bulls player to make the All-Star game since Michael Jordan in 1998.[71] Rose had eight points, four assists and three steals in his first game as an All-Star. The Bulls once again made the playoffs in the 2009–10 season finishing with a 41–41 record. In the playoffs Rose averaged 26.8 points and 7.2 assists, but the Bulls still lost in five games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[72]
On April 13, 2010, Rose scored 39 points against the Celtics, making 15–22 field goals, and 9–10 free throws.
According to a January 2010 report by ESPN, Rose had the 4th best selling jersey in the league.
2010–11 season: MVP season
On October 30, 2010, in the Bulls' second game of the season, Rose scored 39 points in a 101–91 win against the Detroit Pistons. Two days after, Rose contributed 13 assists, helping Luol Deng score his career high 40 points in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
On December 10, 2010, Rose scored 29 points and had 9 assists, leading the Bulls to their first victory over the Los Angeles Lakers since December 19, 2006.
On January 17, 2011, Derrick Rose finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists recording his first career triple-double against the Memphis Grizzlies.
On January 27, 2011, Rose was announced as a starting guard on the 2011 NBA All-Star Team for the East squad.[74]
On February 17, 2011, in the Bulls' last game before the All-Star break, Derrick Rose recorded a regular-season career high 42 points, along with 8 assists and 5 rebounds, as the Bulls beat the San Antonio Spurs 109–99.
On March 26, 2011, Rose had a career high 17 assists, along with 30 points, and 3 rebounds, in a 95–87 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
At the end of the 2010–11 NBA season the Bulls finished with a league leading record of 62–20.[75] Their 60+ wins was the Bulls' first since the 1997–98 season and sixth 60+ win in the team's franchise history.[76]
At season's end, Rose became only the third player in the past thirty years of the NBA to record 2,000 points and 600 assists in a single season. The other two players were LeBron James and Michael Jordan.[77]
On May 3, 2011, Rose, at the age of 22, was named the NBA Most Valuable Player, surpassing Wes Unseld as the youngest player in league history to receive the award (Unseld won the award during the 1968-69 NBA season at age 23). Rose joined Michael Jordan as the only players to receive the award in Chicago Bulls history.[78]
In the 2011 NBA Playoffs, the Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls faced the Miami Heat, led by their three All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Bulls lost the series in five games. During the 2011 playoffs, Rose averaged 27.1 points per game, but only shot 39% from the field and 24% for three pointers.[79]
| Stat | High | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 42 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | February 17, 2011 |
| Points | 42 | vs. Indiana Pacers | March 18, 2011 |
| Field goal percentage | 12–14 (.857) | at Oklahoma City Thunder | March 18, 2009 |
| Field goals made | 18 | vs. San Antonio Spurs | February 17, 2011 |
| Field goal attempts | 33 | vs. Washington Wizards | January 15, 2010 |
| Field goal attempts | 33 | at Phoenix Suns | November 24, 2010 |
| Free throws made, none missed | 12–12 | at Milwaukee Bucks | March 26, 2011 |
| Free throws made | 18 (OT) | vs. Indiana Pacers | March 18, 2011 |
| Free throw attempts | 21 (OT) | vs. Indiana Pacers | March 18, 2011 |
| Three-point field goals made | 6 | at Atlanta Hawks | March 22, 2011 |
| Three-point field goal attempts | 11 | vs. Utah Jazz | March 12, 2011 |
| Rebounds | 12 | at Phoenix Suns | November 24, 2010 |
| Rebounds | 12 | at Detroit Pistons | December 26, 2010 |
| Offensive rebounds | 5 | vs. Atlanta Hawks | November 11, 2008 |
| Defensive rebounds | 11 | at Phoenix Suns | November 24, 2010 |
| Defensive rebounds | 11 | at Detroit Pistons | December 26, 2010 |
| Assists | 17 | vs. Milwaukee Bucks | March 26, 2011 |
| Steals | 6 | at New York Knicks | December 25, 2010 |
| Blocked shots | 3 | vs. Boston Celtics | April 13, 2010 |
| Blocked shots | 3 | at Washington Wizards | December 22, 2010 |
| Blocked shots | 3 | vs. Miami Heat | January 15, 2011 |
| Blocked shots | 3 | vs. Cleveland Cavaliers | January 22, 2011 |
| Blocked shots | 3 | vs. Toronto Raptors | April 2, 2011 |
| Turnovers | 9 | at Golden State Warriors | February 5, 2011 |
| Minutes played | 55:20 (2 OT) | at Miami Heat | March 9, 2009 |
