The term GOAT gets thrown around a lot in NBA circles. Whether it’s praising the dominance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the longevity of LeBron James, or the undefeated 6-0 Finals record of Michael Jordan, everyone has their guy. Derrick Rose once named MJ as his choice. The only thing was, it wasn’t true.
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Rose, a Chicago native through and through, was the face of the franchise in the early 2010s and was arguably one of the best players in the NBA before knee injuries derailed his momentum and what was shaping up to be a Hall of Fame career. Regardless, whenever the former MVP was asked about his all-time favorite, he named Jordan, largely because of his ties to the city of Chicago. That was until he changed his answer two months ago.
The 37-year-old icon did an interview with HoopsHype and clarified that his GOAT wasn’t Jordan, but one of Jordan’s fiercest rivals, Isiah Thomas. Fortunately, D-Rose offered a thorough breakdown of why the Baby-Faced Assassin edged out His Airness.
“I mean, my GOAT now is Isiah Thomas because he’s from Chicago. The only guy who beat Magic [Johnson], Mike [Jordan], and [Larry] Bird all in their prime at 6-3. Chicago’s way of doing sh*t. I used to say MJ, but it wasn’t MJ. I said it because I was intrigued by his story and how he won. But I’m not a two-guard. I don’t score like him at all. So it was just me just admiring his story,” Rose said.
Word has since gotten around to Isiah, and he’s wearing it like a badge of honor. The two-time NBA champion even shared a quote from Rose’s interview, calling him the GOAT, on his Instagram Stories.
Isiah on IG pic.twitter.com/a4mgTnibv3
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) September 2, 2025
Having Thomas at the top of your Mount Rushmore is not a bad thing at all. As Rose said, he and the ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons beat down teams that had some of the most prominent names of all time on them. To this day, the culture that Thomas and company left in Detroit is still trying to be rebuilt.
Like Rose, Thomas has a deep love for the Windy City. When he was asked on All The Smoke what’s in Chicago’s water that produces “nothing but b-ball dogs,” the Hall of Famer had his answer ready. “The spirituality of wanting to be the best and wanting to compete,” he said.
Thomas later revealed that it was a city that taught him how to fight, literally. “I fought twice a week, I didn’t always win my fights, but then your just used to fighting. I think in Chicago that’s part of the get down.”
What makes this come full circle is how much players like Thomas admire Rose. D-Rose was embedded in Bulls culture from the moment he was born in 1988. To then grow from a Chicago kid into the face of the Bulls franchise, even if only for a stretch, was the ultimate Second City dream.
Kevin Garnett’s praise for Derrick Rose
Garnett isn’t someone who sugarcoats his takes, so when he publicly praises a player, it’s because they truly deserve their flowers. On his KG Certified podcast, he once spoke about the impact Rose has had on the Windy City and its people.
Garnett described how Rose grew up representing and bleeding Chicago at every turn. “Then you get drafted by the Bulls? Then you win MVP? Bro, you are the people’s champion. That is the ultimate fantasy,” said the Big Ticket.
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Rose’s shift from Jordan to Thomas as his personal GOAT isn’t just about basketball. It is about Chicago pride. Admiring MJ was about respecting a story, but choosing Thomas reflects Rose’s own journey as a gritty guard who had to fight for everything he earned.
And with Isiah proudly embracing Rose’s words, it shows the mutual respect between two Chicago legends who carved their paths in very different eras. It is a reminder that the GOAT conversation is not always about stats or rings. It can be about who speaks to your soul and the city that made you.
