Former guard Cleveland Cavaliers had some interesting thoughts on his NBA legacy.
Former NBA point guard Derrick Rose only had a short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it's all part of his story.
Rose spent 16 games with Cleveland during the 2017-18 NBA season. During this time, he averaged 9.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, playing in 19.3 minutes per game.
The Cavaliers traded Rose to the Utah Jazz at the deadline, but he never played a minute with them. The veteran guard bounced around the league after that, ending his journey after the 2023-24 season.
Rose was a special player in the NBA, and he is a true fan favorite around the league. His prime was spent with the Chicago Bulls, where he became the youngest league MVP in history.
The Bulls drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. This gave him a chance to play for his hometown squad.
The star led the Bulls to a 62-win season, averaging 25.0 points during his MVP season. Rose was on pace to be a true legend in the game, but his career trajectory changed when he tore his ACL during the 2012 playoffs.
Over the next few years, he couldn't replicate his success, with the injury robbing him of his athleticism and explosiveness. Rose is seen as a legend by most basketball fans, but to him, many fans may forget him in the coming years.
The veteran opened up about his legacy, providing a modest view of his career.
“Truth to be told, given how my story has unfolded, in a few years they probably won’t remember me anymore,” Rose said, via Eurohoops.
NBA fans aren't going to forget Rose, in part because of how good a player he was during his prime. Watching him play was electric, and he was able to do things on the court that nobody had really seen before.
But Rose pointed to former NBA stars Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as examples to his legacy thought. Both Chamberlain and Russell are two of the greatest big men to ever play the game, and yet, many younger generations have forgotten how talented they were.
“Many young people today don’t even know Wilt Chamberlain, even though he broke a ton of records and won everything,” Rose said. “Some don’t know Bill Russell, even though no one won as much as he did.”
Overall, Rose may believe that his legacy will be forgotten, but to the average fan, it won't. His time in the NBA as a top option was brief, but also one of the more memorable stints in a long time.
