There are many benefits to being famous, but fame is not for everybody, even professional athletes. Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose joined the Out the Mud podcast this week, and among the topics he discussed was how even as he was getting his first taste of big-time NBA recognition, he still wasn’t comfortable being in the spotlight.
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Rose was asked by host Tony Allen to recall his first All-Star Game, which he made as a second-year player. Rose confessed to having a certain sense of dread for his special weekend appearance. All the ‘Windy City Assassin’ had to say was,
“I’m scared, because I ain’t want no shine from this s***. I wanted to go to the arena and just leave and just show up the next day, next game. I ain’t want no praise or anything for it at the time.”
It might sound like false modesty from someone who was on the verge of becoming a superstar, but Out the Mud even spliced in a video of Rose looking uncomfortable in front of the camera. This was a guy who was born to hoop and didn’t care about all of the accolades and attention that came with being so good at it.
Keep in mind that by this time Rose had led his Memphis Tigers to the national championship game in his lone collegiate season. He had been the No. 1 overall pick of the draft. And he had won the Rookie of the Year award. But still, by his own admission, he was scared of the camera.
“You can see it on camera when I was younger. I did not want no parts of being on camera. Like some Mike Tyson type s***. But that’s solely for my pure love of the game.”
Rose’s comparison to Tyson is fitting for more than just their shared distaste of the spotlight. Like Rose, Iron Mike was uncomfortable being on camera, but when the bell rang or the whistle blew, both were among the most focused, respected and feared competitors ever in their chosen sport.
Derrick Rose was a unique NBA superstar
There may never be another NBA player like D-Rose, which makes it all the more sad that his prime was cut short by a devastating knee injury. Rose was one of the most physically gifted, athletic players to ever play point guard. He’s still the youngest MVP in league history, and there’s perhaps no greater NBA “what-if” than what he could have accomplished if he had stayed healthy.
It’s still unbelievably impressive that despite his injuries, Rose still managed to reinvent himself and have a 15-year career. It’s a testament to that same love of the game that led him to shy away from the camera in the first place.
Basketball fans hear the term “hooper” all the time, but Derrick Rose was the living embodiment of what it meant to be a real hooper.
