Derrick Rose: Mentally, it’s tough dealing with the thought that you’re never going to be the same. It’s rough. I swear, bro. You ask yourself, “Can I play through this pain?” Because every day isn’t going to be pain-free. From my ACL injury all the way into my 15th year, I played through some kind of pain every year to get to where I am now.
Source: YouTube
Source: YouTube
More on this storyline
Derrick Rose: Being light-skinned in the hood was a factor too. That’s a factor—it plays a role. That’s why it’s hard for me to joke around with people about it, because I’ve seen how light-skinned people get treated in the hood. I told myself, ‘No, I’m not going to be that guy.’ I’m not that, and my sons aren’t going to be that either. -via YouTube / January 23, 2025
Derrick Rose: I got to the MRI machine, and I wasn’t crying the entire time. But when I got to the MRI machine, I started to cry because that was the first time I was by myself. From when they got me off the court, to them getting me in the back, to me seeing my mom, to getting in the car, to getting in that machine—that was the first time I was alone. And it hit me, like, damn, what happened? If this thing is torn, it’s over. I get out of the machine, and they tell me it’s torn. I break down crying. My mom was there, and she’s trying to help me. After that, I got back to the crib, and for like a year, or two years, it was just hard. Just trying to figure out your rhythm—you know how when you tell yourself to move your leg, you hesitate a little on the way back? You can’t put much pressure on it. -via YouTube / January 23, 2025
Derrick Rose: While all this was happening, I watched my brother Greedy change. He was a neat freak—I’d go into his room, mess with the remote, and try to put it back exactly where he left it, but he’d always know I’d been in there. Then he started wearing the same snow outfit for a whole month. I’d ask him, ‘What’s wrong with you, bro? You’re changing.’ It all came from the conditions we were living in, the environment. And then, death. His best friend got killed. I remember the day it happened. He came into the crib crying, couldn’t even get up the stairs. My mom was helping him at the bottom when he fell into her arms. I sprinted out of the house, no socks on, ran to the block, and saw Esco on the ground. It was traumatizing. After that, the old Greedy I knew was gone. He was in survival mode, just trying to figure out life. He wasn’t even thinking that maybe his little brother could change things. I was seeing all this while growing up, peeping how things were. -via YouTube / January 23, 2025