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Derrick Rose, a No. 1 overall pick in 2008 and the 2011 NBA MVP, announces retirement

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Derrick Rose, a No. 1 overall pick in 2008 and the 2011 NBA MVP, announces retirement
Sport

Sport

Derrick Rose, a No. 1 overall pick in 2008 and the 2011 NBA MVP, announces retirement

2024-09-26 21:33 Last Updated At:21:51

Derrick Rose's last act as an NBA player came in the form of a letter to the game of basketball, addressing the highs and lows that he experienced over a 16-year pro career.

And with that, his career ended on his terms.

Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls and the league's MVP in 2011, announced his retirement on Thursday. He was, and still is, the youngest MVP winner in NBA history, claiming that award when he was just 22.

“You believed in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain,” Rose wrote as part of his letter to the game, serving as his retirement announcement. He posted the letter online, as well as taking out full-page newspaper advertisements in each of the cities where he played in his NBA years.

“You told me it's okay to say goodbye, reassuring me that you'll always be a part of me, no matter where life takes me,” he wrote.

Rose was the league's rookie of the year in 2008-09 for the Bulls, was the league's MVP two seasons later and was an All-Star selection in three of his first four seasons. A major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs forced him to miss almost two full seasons and he contemplated stepping away from the game several times following other injury issues, but always found ways to get back onto the floor.

Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said Rose “represents the grit, resilience, and heart” of Chicago.

“He’s one of the toughest and most determined athletes I’ve ever been around, constantly fighting through adversity that would have broken most,” Reinsdorf said. “Watching him grow from a Chicago Public League star to becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history as a Bull has been nothing short of an honor.”

Besides the Bulls, Rose would also play for New York, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland and Memphis. He spent last season with the Grizzlies, returning to the city that he called home for his one season of college basketball.

He played in 24 games with the Grizzlies last season and when it ended Rose spoke at length about what a return to Memphis meant to him.

“It's all full circle," Rose said in April. “Coming back here, having my family here, my wife's family is from here, being back in this arena, having some of the people that came to my college games actually come to my professional games here, it's all love.”

Added the Grizzlies in a statement Thursday where they offered Rose congratulations on his career: “We are grateful for your meaningful contributions to this team and this city, and wish you all the best in this next chapter of life.”

Rose dealt with multiple knee surgeries over the years, took time away during the 2017-18 season to contemplate his future while dealing with ankle issues and sat out nearly two full seasons — after the knee injury in 2012 — when he should have been in his prime.

Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games. He averaged 21 points per game before the ACL tear 12 years ago, and 15.1 per game in the seasons that followed.

“With D-Rose, it was never a question of his talent,” Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, a former Rose teammate, said in 2018. “It was always about his health. And when he was healthy, everyone saw all the talent.”

Rose still flashed that MVP-level talent plenty of times over the years that followed the knee troubles. He had a career-high 50 points for Minnesota in a 128-125 win over Utah on Oct. 31, 2018 — a game that moved him to tears. He had a 12-assist game for Detroit in a 115-107 win over Houston on Dec. 14, 2019, his first such game in nearly eight years.

“I know the person that he is, the character that he has,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Chicago, Minnesota and New York, said in 2018 when he was leading the Timberwolves. “And it shines through.”

Rose was a serious candidate for the league’s sixth man of the year award in three straight seasons — 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 — and even got a first-place MVP vote again in that 2020-21 season, a decade after winning that award.

He announced his presence as a star quickly, winning the league’s skills challenge — as a rookie — at All-Star weekend in 2009, then winning rookie of the year and scoring 36 points in his playoff debut. It was a meteoric rise for someone who grew up amid poverty in a Chicago suburb, then saw basketball as an escape route and way to take care of his mother and family. In 2006, he hit a shot to win an Illinois state high school championship. Only five years later, he was MVP of the NBA.

“The kid from Englewood turned into a Chicago legend,” the Bulls posted on social media Thursday, along with a video of Rose’s highlights with the team.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

FILE -Memphis Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose stands on the sideline in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Feb. 15, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)

FILE -Memphis Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose stands on the sideline in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Feb. 15, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)

FILE -Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose falls after being tripped while driving against the Boston Celtics in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Nov. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

FILE -Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose falls after being tripped while driving against the Boston Celtics in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Nov. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

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FBI seizes NYC mayor's phone ahead of the expected unsealing of an indictment

2024-09-26 21:49 Last Updated At:21:50

NEW YORK (AP) — FBI agents entered the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and seized his phone early Thursday morning, hours before an indictment detailing criminal charges against the Democrat was expected to be made public.

Adams was indicted by a grand jury on federal criminal charges that remain sealed, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

“Federal agents appeared this morning at Gracie Mansion in an effort to create a spectacle (again) and take Mayor Adams phone (again)," Adams' lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement, adding that the mayor had not been arrested. "They send a dozen agents to pick up a phone when we would have happily turned it in.”

Federal law enforcement agents were seen entering the mayor’s Manhattan residence at dawn on Thursday, with several vehicles bearing federal law enforcement placards parked outside.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan has declined to comment on the investigation, though it was planning to discuss the case at an 11:30 a.m. news conference. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for the mayor did not immediately respond to questions Thursday morning.

In a video speech released Wednesday night, Adams vowed to fights any charges against him, claiming he had been made a “target” in a case “based on lies.”

“I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit," he said.

It was not immediately clear what laws Adams is accused of breaking or when he might have to appear in court.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to remove Adams from office. Her spokesperson, Avi Small, issued a statement late Wednesday that said “Governor Hochul is aware of these concerning news reports and is monitoring the situation. It would be premature to comment further until the matter is confirmed by law enforcement.”

The indictment caps off an extraordinary few weeks in New York City, as federal investigators have honed in on members of Adams' inner circle, producing a drum-beat of raids, subpoenas and high-level resignations.

Federal prosecutors are believed to be leading multiple, separate inquiries involving Adams and his senior aides, relatives of those aides, campaign fundraising and possible influence peddling of the police and fire departments.

In the last two weeks alone, the city’s police commissioner and head of the school’s system have announced their resignations.

FBI agents had seized Adams’ electronic devices nearly a year ago as part of an investigation focused, at least partly, on campaign contributions and Adams’ interactions with the Turkish government. Because the charges were sealed, it was unknown whether they dealt with those same matters.

In early September, federal investigators seized devices from his police commissioner, schools chancellor, two deputy mayors and other trusted confidants both in and out of City Hall.

All have denied wrongdoing.

A NYPD officer stands outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A NYPD officer stands outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A vehicle drives out of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A vehicle drives out of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A vehicle drives into Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A vehicle drives into Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - New York City mayor Eric Adams speaks to members of the press at a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - New York City mayor Eric Adams speaks to members of the press at a news conference in New York, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

This image taken from video released by New York City Office of the Mayor, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, shows mayor Eric Adams speaking during a videotaped statement. (New York City Office of the Mayor via AP)

This image taken from video released by New York City Office of the Mayor, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, shows mayor Eric Adams speaking during a videotaped statement. (New York City Office of the Mayor via AP)

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