John Kim Derrick Rose has retired. In an official announcement on his Instagram, the former NBA MVP and Chicago legend has notified his global fanbase that he’s hanging it up for good, at least as an NBA player. Rose has been such a basketball inspiration due to his whirlwind career path that saw him succeed at the highest level, get thrown into the mud with career-altering injuries, and claw back to the surface. It’s a true against-all-odds story that proves that if Rose can do it, so can you.
Rose’s sneaker journey with adidas began immediately upon entering the NBA; after earning the NBA MVP award after the 2011 season, he famously signed a 14-year $190 million contract that would keep him in the stripes through 2026. A few months later, with the ink not even completely dry on the new contract, Rose suffered a torn ACL in the 2012 NBA Playoffs that would alter the course of Rose’s upwards trajectory and change the future of the adidas D Rose line forever. All of this occurred before he turned 22 years old.
Rose never regained his original form. While he was still able to be productive and effective starter in the NBA for a few more seasons, he was nowhere near the MVP-caliber player that he was in 2011, let alone an All-Star level player. Still, Rose was beloved worldwide and continues to be one of the more popular athletes. Unfortunately for adidas, the D Rose line never reached the potential of marketability. Still, the brand committed info to its athlete, releasing a total of 11 signature shoe models and a number of “.5” mid-season models.
The last known signature shoe model was the D Rose 11 that was introduced in 2020. A D Rose 12 signature shoe doesn’t seem likely. Other basketball shoe models under the D Rose signature line have also released, such as the 773 and the Son Of Chi.
