Former NBA MVP and three-time All Star guard Derrick Rose has retired after 16 seasons, he announced Thursday.
Rose, 35, announced his retirement in an Instagram post. The former Chicago Bulls star also took out full-page ads in the local newspapers of each of the six NBA cities he played in — Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis — to bid farewell to the game of basketball.
“Thank you, my first love…,” Rose wrote in his full-page ad in Thursday’s print issue of The Plain Dealer.
“You gave me a gift, our time together, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days. You told me it’s okay to say goodbye, reassuring me that you’ll always be a part of me, no matter where life takes me. Forever yours, Derrick Rose,” he added.
Rose’s retirement comes two days after he was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies upon his request on Tuesday. Rose, who played in 24 games for the Grizzlies during the 2023-24 season, was waived with one season remaining on his two-year, $6.6 million contract with Memphis.
The three-time NBA All-Star was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2008-09 season, earned his first All-Star selection in his second season and was named the NBA MVP in his third season in 2010-11.
Following eight seasons in Chicago, the latter of which were marred by injuries, Rose played seven seasons for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and most recently the Grizzlies.
Rose finishes his 16-year NBA career averaging 17.4 points on 45.6% shooting, along with 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 30.5 minutes across 723 career games, including 518 starts.
