Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose’s girlfriend is Mieka Reese, who he has been dating for a long time. The couple had a child in 2012, who they named Derrick Rose Jr.

He is a devout Christian and has several tattoos on his body related to his faith. He also wears a wristband that says ‘In Jesus Name I Play’.

Derrick Martell Rose was born on 4 October 1988, in Chicago, Illinois. He, along with his three older brothers, was raised by a single mother, who despite being strict was also caring and loving. Being the youngest of the brothers, he received fatherly affection from his older brothers, Dwayne, Reggie and Allan.

Interested in basketball from a young age, he enrolled at the Simeon Career Academy where his talent in the sport earned him a lot of popularity within a short time. He helped his team, ‘The Simeon Wolverines,’ win the Chicago Public League championship in 2006. The event, which was held at the United Center in Chicago, witnessed one of the best performances of Rose’s career so far.

By the time he reached his senior year, he was ranked as the fifth best prospect in the nation by the popular magazine ‘Sports Illustrated’. With his help, Simeon became the first Chicago Public League School to have successfully won two straight state championships.

After he finished his schooling, several college coaches had him on their rosters due to his popularity. Eventually Rose made the decision to enroll at the University of Memphis and represent its basketball team. He led the Memphis Tigers to a total of thirty eight wins in his year with the team.

Around this time, Rose became the center of a controversy, as an NCAA report stated that to meet the academic eligibility requirements, he had made someone else take his SAT exam. But due to lack of evidence that Rose had actually cheated, he was soon cleared to play once again.

Derrick Rose was drafted into the NBA in the year 2008, selected by the Chicago Bulls. With an average of 16.8 points, along with 6.3 assists per game he also earned two Rookie of the Year honors.

During his second season, he unfortunately had to miss the preseason games due to an injury in his ankle. However, his played excellently after his healing, and led his team to several victories. The team made the playoffs in the 2009-10 seasons, and eventually finished with a 41-41 record. The same year he was also a member of the US National basketball team, which won a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Cup.

In the next season, he was named the ‘NBA Most Valuable Player.’ This was a historic achievement for him as by winning the award he joined Michael Jordan as the only Chicago Bulls players to have received the award. Rose, who was only 22 at that time, also became the youngest player to receive the award in the history of the NBA.

Over the next few seasons, his performance improved and he soon gained reputation as an all-round basketball player in the NBA. In 2014, he was again a part of the US National Basketball team, which won a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

In June 2016, along with Justin Holiday, Rose was traded to the New York Knicks. He started off brilliantly in his debut game with the Knicks, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Though his performance as an athlete was appreciated, he was fined in January 2017, as he had flown to Chicago to be with his mother just before an important game, without notifying the concerned officials.

Both during his college career and NBA career, Derrick Rose won several important awards, some of them being ‘NBA Rookie of the Year’ award in 2009 and ‘NBA Most Valuable Player’ award in 2011.

He became the youngest player in NBA history to win the Most Valuable Player award at age 22 in 2011. This can be regarded as his biggest achievement so far in his life and career.