During the prime of his career, Derrick Rose was simply insane. He kept the Chicago Bulls relevant in the Eastern Conference almost single-handedly and became the youngest MVP in the history of the league. And of course, who can forget his explosive dunks on the court?
Well, as explosive as prime D-Rose was, he was completely opposite in terms of expressing himself. In fact, one might even say he was Kawhi Leonard before Kawhi.
If you are not aware of what we mean, Kawhi is someone who usually isn’t too expressive. As a result, he has given NBA fans many memes over the years, albeit unintentionally.
D-Rose did something similar during the 2012 NBA All-Star weekend. He was named a starter for the Eastern Conference team along with Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard.
When the players were introduced, apart from Rose, all the players made a grand entrance by dancing and letting loose. But Rose? He was left pretty confused by this stunt mainly led by James and Howard. So Rose did what he does best, he didn’t react to shenanigans by the other players and gave them the side-eye.
D-Rose was Kawhi before Kawhi https://t.co/82DPKdIh5F
— Mink Flow (@currypistonn) September 26, 2021
Thanks to this fan bringing back this gem, more fans joined in and gave some pretty hilarious responses to the post. Obviously, the consensus was, D-Rose was Kawhi before Kawhi.
😂 derrick from Chicago. He know them dudes up there jumping around and smiling and shit look like goofies. Doing way too much. No cap these other cities and states be weird asl. Its a reason Chicago has influenced the way our generation moves more than any other city.
— COMRADE_JAY (@jhaylin_benson) September 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/ethono_/status/1442094180424105984https://twitter.com/718_Dre/status/1442107198591488002
Tim duncan was d rose before d rose was kawhi.
So tim Duncan is tier 1
— सिंह अनमोल (@nistrophercolan) September 26, 2021
he quiet cz he's cool guy not like kawhi he's awkward guy
— ✦3✦ (@aestestis) September 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/officialzach_s/status/1442077392353337345
He's just the only one up there who realizes he ain't some phony rapper. He's there to play ball.
— Nouh (@OGNouh) September 26, 2021
DRose from the streets of chi lmao he ain’t bout that goofy shit
— AC Mitchell (@ACMitchell_) September 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/REEalityTTV/status/1442143689950711811
If you didn’t know this you aren’t a true NBA fan
— Danny (@dannydimes20) September 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/davethestoic/status/1442514032116699141
I realized once DRose retires, we will never hear from him or see him again
— Ù‹ (@kumingaga) September 26, 2021
Even almost a decade later, the clip never fails to give fans a chuckle while they reminisce the old Derrick Rose. Rose’s prime was short but enjoyable and more than enough for many to become his lifelong fans.
Once his career was ruined due to injuries, D-Rose bounced around the league for a while but has finally found his groove again.
No, he isn’t the explosive guy with the nuclear athleticism he once was. But he has improved on other aspects of his game and is currently playing for the New York Knicks. He is now a veteran player who knows his role and fulfilling it brilliantly as of now. If the Knicks make it to the playoffs this season, Rose’s leadership might play a big role in that.
