‘THANK YOU, MY FIRST LOVE’
Derrick Rose, the youngest Most Valuable Player (MVP) in NBA history, announced his retirement after playing for 16 seasons with six teams.
The 35-year-old guard announced the news on Instagram by placing ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played for, such as Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.
The news was confirmed by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
“The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball,” Rose said in a statement to The Athletic.
He added, “Whether good or bad, everyone has a ‘What if’ story in their life. Even if I could, I wouldn’t change anything in mine, because it’s what helped me find real joy.”
Rose was the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and last played for the Memphis Grizzlies. The following year, he won Rookie of the Year.
In 2011, he won his MVP award at the age of 22, making him the youngest player in league history to win MVP as of writing.
For the record, Rose finished his career at 17.4 points and 5.2 assists over 723 regular-season games.