Derrick Rose and the NBA’s most haunting “what if”

Conditionals are worth what they’re worth – a way of talking about something that never happened, yet still generates an extraordinary narrative. And that, to a large extent, is what the NBA lives on: constant discussion, endless debate. Something massively amplified by social media in recent years, but which has always been there. What mighthave happened often carries more weight than what actually did – at least when it comes to producing an endless supply of arguments for and against any given idea. That is why subjectivity weighs so heavily in the American league, which has fed on it as if forever hungry and thirsty. The “what if…” matters enormously. And at the same time, it means nothing at all. In the end, only facts count, no matter how free the imagination may be to speculate.

One of the stories that has sparked more debate than almost any other is that of Derrick Rose. A “what if…” so vast it is impossible to ignore. A man with extraordinary talent buried on the other side of sport – the one defined by endless injuries and the ordeal of a body that never fully recovered. The point guard was born in Chicago on October 4, 1988. He is now retired. But it has been more than a decade since he vanished from front pages, magazines and newscasts – at least for his basketball ability. That is what happens when you fall victim to problems beyond your control, issues that prevented him from ever being the same again: an explosive playmaker with a powerful lower body, an unstoppable first step and the ability to do everything on a basketball court. A brilliant guard who was reduced to nothing, without any way to stop it. Some things, of course, simply cannot be controlled.

Rose was a high school star who led Simeon Career Academy to two consecutive state titles – something no school in Illinois had ever achieved. Over that stretch, the team went 120–12 before he moved on to the University of Memphis Tigers. He spent a single season there, averaging nearly 15 points along with close to five rebounds and five assists. He led the team to the Final Four and reached the national championship game against the University of Kansas, but came up short as the Jayhawks claimed their first title in 20 years. After that, he declared for the NBA draft. Every projection had him going No. 1 overall. He was selected by the Bulls, his hometown team in Chicago. A story that promised magic and endless chapters was just beginning – or so it seemed. It wasn’t to be.

Years of promise

Rose made an immediate impact, winning Rookie of the Year in his first season after averaging 16.8 points and more than six assists. In his playoff debut, at Madison Square Garden, he put up 36 points and 11 assists, though the Bulls lost in seven grueling games to the Celtics. In his second season he averaged 20.8 points and earned his first All-Star selection. The Bulls, again finishing with 41 wins, were eliminated in the first round by the Cavaliers, where LeBron James was nearing the end of his first stint in Cleveland. In that series, Rose averaged 26.8 points a night. He was now firmly established as a star. The future was his – and he only went on to confirm it.

The 2010–11 season was historic for Rose. The departure of Vinny Del Negro and the arrival of Tom Thibodeau transformed the Bulls, who reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since the Michael Jordan era and seemed ready to escape his long shadow. They lost 4–1 to the Heat – led, of course, by LeBron – but it was the definitive confirmation of their point guard. At 22 years and 191 days old, Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history, averaging 25 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. The Bulls looked to the future with optimism: a potential generational star, a coach growing in stature and a supporting cast – Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng – perfectly suited to challenge the Heat and chase a title in the years ahead. It finally felt as though Chicago might reclaim the glory lost after Jordan’s departure. But things do not always unfold as we hope.

The fall into hell

In the first game of the 2012 playoffs, with the Bulls up by 12 points and 1:22 left on the clock, Rose tore the ACL in his left knee while landing from a jump. It was the beginning of the end. Chicago lost its franchise player for the remainder of the postseason – falling 4–2 to the 76ers, unable to recover from the emotional blow – and for the entire following season. Rose already had a history of physical issues and had played just 37 of a possible 66 games that year, in a lockout-shortened season. He was never the same again. His explosiveness and vertical lift disappeared. His body became increasingly fragile. And he was never again the dominant force he once was.

He played just 10 games in 2013–14. While there was a partial resurgence in the two seasons that followed – 61 and 66 games respectively – with Pau Gasol on the roster, the Bulls were no longer contenders or favorites.

Rose left his beloved Bulls and his hometown in June 2016. From there on, he became a trade piece, moving through the Knicks, Cavaliers and Timberwolves before returning to New York, where he reunited with Thibodeau. He always retained his scoring instincts, but his availability was limited by a body battered by years of injuries. The emotional toll of it all came into focus during his time in Minnesota. On October 31, 2018, he scored 50 points at Target Center in a win over the Jazz, shooting 19-of-31 from the field, 4-of-7 from three and 9-of-11 from the line. After the final buzzer, he was embraced by teammates and broke down in tears. It was the pinnacle of his later career – and proof that there was still talent buried deep in the other side of sport that he had endured more than almost anyone.

Rose announced his retirement approaching his 36th birthday after being waived by the Grizzlies. His final seasons were spent far from the spotlight of his peak years, but with the conviction that the fight he endured was as admirable as any other. The journey itself carries immense merit when you consider that he went from being the best player in the NBA to a role player who competed until the end, effort as his calling card. His body was no longer sustainable – he did not play more than 27 games in any of his final three seasons – though flashes of his quality still appeared. His story, however, is already written: that of the youngest MVP in NBA history; of a gifted point guard submerged by an unbearable chain of injuries; of a star who lost his light. But a man who was, undeniably, a star. And that is not forgotten.

A new obsession: chess

After retiring and largely disappearing from view, Rose has done something improbable, helping to lead an unexpected collaboration between the worlds of chess and professional basketball. The former player recently partnered with Magnus Carlsen’s Freestyle Chess to organize a tournament featuring prominent figures from both disciplines. NBA players were paired with chess grandmasters in a “hand and brain” format, in which the chess star would name a piece and the basketball player would decide where to move it.

Rose took part in the tournament and is already planning a similar event. The experience appears to have resonated with him, though his interest in chess dates back to his playing days. “I think the excitement of knowing the possibilities is unmatched by any other game,” he said in comments reported by CNN. “You have three or four million possibilities right after the first move. And because I learned that knowledge at a very young age, it intrigued me,” he added, noting that he has even dreamed about chess. A new world for an athlete who could have been everything – and who found something else entirely.

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