In a candid YouTube conversation, former NBA players Baron Davis and Draymond Green reminisce about facing Derrick Rose on the court, share vivid personal anecdotes of guarding him, and praise his athleticism and impact on Chicago. They discuss Rose’s recent jersey retirement announcement (scheduled for January 4, 2025), his 2011 MVP season, and his graceful handling of injuries and team changes. Both repeatedly assert that Rose’s achievements—MVP, city icon status, and resilience—make him a lock for NBA Hall of Fame induction. The dialogue is informal, enthusiastic, and peppered with repeated affirmations of Rose’s greatness.
Chapters
Derrick Rose night just passed. Derrick Rose, man. Shout out to D-Rose. One of the greatest. Just got announced that he getting his jersey retired. You know, I think it's like 1/4/25 is the date. Man, I mean, one, Man, just shout out to Derrick Rose. Shout out to like, man, damn, bro. Like, wow. Fuck, just shout out to Derrick Rose. He is just so cold. You know what I mean? Like, oh my gosh. Just, man, this dude is just, he was amazing. You know what I mean? He was amazing. I didn't get a chance to play against him as much as I wanted to. But I did catch him when I was like, "Okay, I'm that guy." You know what I mean? You know, I'm that guy, dog. And I never forget down the stretch of the game, like that fool was posting me up. They was throwing it to him on the block, bro. And he got two, hey Dray, he got two buckets on me. And I looked at him, I said, "Bro, who are you?" That's crazy. And they was going, hey bro, they was different. And you know, I haven't been on no, you know, on the ISO, guarding T-Mac, guarding Kobe down the stretch, Iverson, you know what I mean? But like, I ain't never really had nobody clear out and post me on the short corner and it's a guard. You feel what I'm saying? Hey bro, and he jumped over me and shot a jump hook, turned around, shot a bank shot fade. I was like, bro, who are you? After the game, I was like, yo, bro, I'm a fan. I was like, I'm a fan. I know who you are now, bro. I didn't know you was that nice. I followed you in Memphis, you know what I mean? Like, damn, bro, I did not know you was this nice. Shout out to D-Rose and shout out to like his next venture, you know what I mean?
Absolutely.
What are you gonna be doing next in life? His platform, you know, the way he telling his side of the story and projecting his story is just giving me an opportunity to learn more about him and grow more about him just as a fan, you know what I mean?
No doubt.
His game and a fan of his. So man, shit, I couldn't guard him.
Listen, man, D-Rose, wow, what an incredible player, man. I had my first opportunity to see D-Rose play up close and personal was at Big Time in Vegas. And D-Rose and Eric Gordon was playing on the same team. They was playing for Mean Streets.
Oh wow.
They was playing the D1 Greyhounds, Bill Walker and O.J. Mayo. Somehow I got into that capacity field game at capacity, standing room. Not only ain't no standing room either. And watching them put on a show was one of the most incredible games I ever seen in my life. And then I had my first opportunity—
That's crazy.
To really play against D-Rose. Like when I came into the league, I think D-Rose got hurt in 2011 or '12. So right when I came into the league, he got hurt. And then if you remember in 2014, I wanna say it was, there was a world championship team. And D-Rose hadn't really played for the Bulls yet. He came back and he came back, his return was with USA Basketball on the World Championship team.
Mm.
And I was on the select team coming to practice against those guys, get them ready, which was an honor for me 'cause I'm on the select team. I was geeked, man. And like, D-Rose came down full speed at me. Come up, try to stop him at the free throw line. He hit me with a crazy, uh!
Wow.
I shift all the way the other way. He up and under that thing, layup. I was like, oh my God. Like, it was just like that. And again, he was coming off injury, so I can only imagine what that crossover and what that up and under looked like 2 and a half years prior to that. But completely left me in the dust. And I was just like, yo, that's crazy to see that type of athleticism up close. But just a big fan of D. Rose, man. How he carried the city of Chicago. That's Chicago's heartbeat right there. That's Chicago's son right there.
Come on, bro.
You know, and to go to Chicago to get drafted number one pick.
That's wild.
And actually live up to it and become the MVP in your city.
That's sick.
With the Bulls you grew up a fan of. And to actually do that, and then to accept with grace when it came to an end. He accepted it with nothing but complete grace that the team that he won MVP on, that the city that he's the heartbeat of was, and I take this with a grain of salt, the city never moved on from him. Who is Pooh? And that is his city. But when that city, I mean, and that organization say, you know what? It's time we move on. We trading you. Man, that man handled it with such grace. Continued to bounce back. Even had a few more ball after that. You know, like—
He a fighter, bro.
To just see how he handled all of that, man. Like, shout out to D-Rose, man.
Legend for life, man. Hall of Famer. All that shit, man. Come on, man, he one of them ones.
And by the way, the questions on is D-Rose a Hall of Famer, if he not, if you win MVP in the NBA—
You're a Hall of Famer.
You're a Hall of Famer. Moving on, I don't care if you play one year. If you play one year in the NBA and you win MVP of the NBA—
Hall of Famer, bro.
Moving on. Is Derrick Rose a Hall of Famer? Stop it.
It's ridiculous. Stop playing. He one of them ones.
