Derrick Rose will be making his return to Chicago on Friday. The Knicks’ point guard will be playing against his former Bulls for the first time.
For Rose, it’s a homecoming in more ways than one. The former MVP is a Chicago native, having become a fan favorite in the United Center. Rose’s final years in Chicago did not go as planned; injuries cut multiple seasons short as he lost much of his athleticism and ability. Eventually, the Bulls decided to part ways with their franchise star, trading him to New York in the offseason.
Nevertheless, D-Rose does not hold any hard feelings against the city he called home and the franchise that hosted him during his prime. As he prepares to play in the arena in which he undoubtedly still has plenty of fans, Rose spoke to Bulls.com’s Sam Smith. In the interview, he described what the city of Chicago did for his career:
“The city meant everything,” said Rose. “They’re the reason I played the way I played. I wanted to show them that every year I worked on my game. In the offseason, I worked on things to see if people saw what I worked on, adding a jump shot, a bank shot, see if the fans can see; ‘Can you see I’m working hard?’ They saw me ever since I was in sixth grade, a guy who had natural raw talent, figured out how to score on a consistent basis, improved his jump shot, watched my turnovers and still working on that, being more efficient with the amount of dribbles before a shot, little things like that.
The city pushes you and forces you to work on your game. I don’t care who you are. If you are in Chicago and play for a professional sports team and if you have greatness in you the city is going to pull it out of you one way or the other; they’re going to force you to work on your game or if you have a tiny bit of greatness they are going to get it out of you in Chicago because it’s the culture. I’d look at tapes of Walter Payton and you could tell he had that itch. Once you come there you get that itch of every day work on becoming great, the culture and history there; the fans have a lot to do with that because of the support. I hope the people in New York can see.”
Rose will now return to the city that he says meant everything to him. From growing up in tough conditions in South Side Englewood to the injury troubles that plagued him in the NBA, Rose almost always had Chicago imprinted on his character. Now, Derrick Rose (and his self-proclaimed super team) will have Chicago with him one more time, as he gets ready to greet the fans that cheered him for years.
