Derrick Rose hasn’t played in an NBA game since February 28th, 2024 where he logged 6 minutes and 2 field goal attempts for the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s been out since then, nursing a lower back and groin injury and due to his absence from the floor, it seems as though a fake news account took advantage of it. The Chicago Bulls TV broadcast even fell for the news that the parody account put out.
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In the midst of a slew of NBA games taking place, a fake news account posing as ESPN’s insider Adrian Wojnarowski put forth the following news:
“BREAKING: Derrick Rose is announcing his retirement after 15 seasons, sources tell ESPN.”
BREAKING: Derrick Rose is announcing his retirement after 15 seasons, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/i14Wt8slNa
— Adrian Wojnarowski ᶠᵃⁿ (@wojdespn) March 16, 2024
The phrasing of the sentence, the graphic used; everything about it feels as though this could be real as Rose has given quite a lot to the game and has dealt with a litany of injuries. Fortunately for Rose and NBA fans, this news is fake. However, it didn’t stop the Bulls broadcast from announcing this news as if it were real.
“It is out on the internet. Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Derrick Rose is retiring after 15 seasons,” said Stacey King. Adam Amin would then go on to talk about Rose’s impact on the game.
The Bulls broadcast fell for a Fake Woj tweet that said Derrick Rose is retiring
He is NOT Retiring @PatBevPod
pic.twitter.com/IZ6YIKDBtv— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 17, 2024
King and Amin are Bulls staples when it comes to the culture of the team as they have been announcing and commenting on the game for quite some time. So, it’s quite unusual for them to have such a slip-up while on live television.
It wouldn’t take long for them to realize that they might’ve gotten duped however. Stacey ponders over the possibility of them getting tricked and then confirms that to be the case with 5 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Bulls’ broadcast realized they got tricked by a fake Derrick Rose retirement tweet pic.twitter.com/jHV0j4klSE
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) March 17, 2024
Fans of the 2011 MVP can rest easy knowing that their favorite player is very much still in the NBA. This isn’t to say that Rose hasn’t contemplated leaving the league before. Rose told NY Post’s Stefan Bondy that he thought about retiring after the 2022-23 season.
“Around that time I was still trying to figure out if I still wanted to play. Just trying to figure out my route, if I wanted to stay or leave.”
It’s no question that Derrick Rose is nearing the end of his career. Whether he decides to step away after this season or any season after this 2023-24 campaign remains to be seen. His averages for this season are at 8 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field while dishing out 3.3 assists and grabbing 1.9 rebounds in 16.6 minutes played per game.
