When it comes to longevity in sports, there’s no better example than Tom Brady. He won his seventh Super Bowl at 43, and Derrick Rose wants to be just like him.
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Brady has seen it all in a remarkable 21-year and counting NFL career. He’s won more Super Bowls than any NFL franchise, he’s entering his 22nd year in the league this season at 44 years old, and to top it all off, he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Brady enters this week leading the league in passing yards per game (subject to change after the game) and passing touchdowns while only throwing four interceptions. He defines sustained excellence.
Brady just dropped a dime to Mike Evans 🎯
Bucs (-4) have life…pic.twitter.com/YGtqWXq9Ky
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 31, 2021
Derrick Rose, who’s now 33 years old, wants to enjoy a similar level of durability and logevity in his career.
Derrick Rose wants to ‘Tom Brady’ the rest of his career
Before we mention anything, we have to appreciate how remarkable Derrick Rose has been. After becoming the NFL’s youngest MVP at 21 years old, it looked Rose was on a path to becoming one of the best NBA players in the league.
Two devastating knee injuries later, and there was suddenly a question about Rose’s future in the league. He put together some decent years in Chicago, but he never returned to the peak he was at. After questioning retirement during a brief stint with the Canvs, Rose quietly pieced together his career in Minnesota, where his memorable 50 point game rings on in NBA history as one of the most heartwarming moments ever.
On this day in 2018, Derrick Rose went off for a career-high 50 PTS and had the game-winning block in an unforgettable performance. #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/OIOUhcHLPg
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 31, 2021
Now, he’s a firm piece of a New York Knicks team looking to build off an incredible playoff run last year. Nobody had expected the Knicks to make it to the playoffs, and until they brought Derrick Rose on-board, it didn’t look like they were going to either. Now, they’re looking to make it even further after being eliminated in the first round.
Rose recognizes that he’s getting older, but he doesn’t want to retire anytime soon. “I’m going to try to Tom Brady this thing,” Rose would say to reporters. “Play as long as possible, make sure I really take care of my body. And make sure I’m playing with joy.”
He doesn’t want to be the superstar, scoring 30 a game, but he just wants to be effecttive. “I don’t have to score 30 points a night anymore to affect the game. I can come out, do what I’ve got to do,” he said. Well, Brady is the perfect example to look at if Rose wants inspiration, and hopefully, he can find it.