Photo Source: hoopshype.com

The Background

Derrick Rose is an NBA player that was born on October 4, 1988 in Englewood, Chicago, IL. He attended the University of Memphis and declared for the NBA draft in 2008, where the Chicago Bulls picked him first overall over stars such as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, DeAndre Jordan and Brook Lopez. D-Rose won plenty of awards throughout his basketball career, one of which was the NBA’s youngest MVP. Listed below are his NBA accomplishments and awards. 

  • NBA Most Valuable Player (2011)
  • All-NBA First Team (2011)
  • NBA All-Star (2010, 2011, 2012)
  • NBA Rookie of the Year (2009)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)
  • NBA Skills Challenge Champion (2009)
  • Conference Rookie of the Month (November, December, March)
  • Conference Player of the Month (April 2010, March 2011)

Pre-Injury

Before the unfortunate injury, the 2012 Chicago Bulls were on a mission to win the championship. In the regular season, they went 50-16 and were tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA. In the first round of the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls were up 12 with 1 minute and 10 seconds left in the game against the Philadelphia 76ers . That’s when the tragic event happened that shocked the NBA forever. 

The Injury

Derrick Rose was going for a layup, when his left knee blew out and caused him to tear his Anterior cruciate ligament. This is a very common way to tear your ACL as many athletes tear their ACL’s when they land incorrectly from a jump. Rose heavily relied on his ACL because that is the ligament that helps him with lateral movement such as quick and rapid movements. The team medical personnel immediately rushed out and tended Rose for several minutes before he was helped to the locker room. Rose went to the hospital and had surgery on May 12, 2012 and was estimated to recover for 8-12 months including the time he spent in rehab. The medical staff believe that the injuries Rose went through in the regular season led to muscle weakness and shortage of conditioning. Due to Rose’s injury, the Bulls went on to lose the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Photo Source: The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute

Post Injury

After D-Rose’s injury, he went to rehab, where he had several workout sessions. The best machines Rose could use were the leg extensions, and the leg curl machine. When he returned to the NBA, Rose played with the Chicago Bulls up until 2016, where he was traded to the New York Knicks for a package including Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round pick for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant. The following year, Rose was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Ricky Rubio. After Rose’s time in Utah, he became a free agent over the summer, where he decided to sign a two-year, $15 million contract with the Detroit Pistons. Once the contract was over, he was traded to the Knicks again for Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round pick. Today, he is playing with the New York Knicks and we all hope he eventually wins a championship.