“It seems like he just can’t catch a break. … I just feel for him, man,” Carlos Boozer said, following his teammate Derrick Rose’s unfortunate ACL tear in 2012. Little did he know that it was the beginning of the adversities that would haunt the Chicago Bulls legend for the rest of his career. Undoubtedly, the former MVP is the biggest ‘What ifs’ of the NBA world. Had he not sustained those cruel injuries, it could have been a different league today. Nevertheless, it is what it is. But, at the same time, Rose, hung his boots, has left behind an inspiring story for the rest of the sports.

In the first four seasons of the 2008 #1 pick, it seemed as if Rose would dominate the league in the years to come. Notably, winning the MVP at the age of 22, and playing spoilsport in LeBron James‘ hat trick attempt. While everyone expected the star’s career to take off from there, it came crashing down a year later. The Chicago native suffered an ACL tear, followed by a series of lower leg injuries.

In short, what could have been a stable career turned into a turbulent journey. From playing 7 straight seasons with the Bulls, he hopped around 5 different teams over the decade. Nevertheless, one thing remained consistent in his journey. The mindset to never give up. Despite the continuous setbacks, Derrick Rose managed to pick himself up every single time. Let’s look at the four career-ending setbacks that Rose tackled and made a strong comeback.

1. Derrick Rose’s origin of Destruction: the ACL tear

By now, it has been made clear that Rose kicked the snowball from the tip of the mountain in 2012. During the first game of the playoff round against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bulls were in a commanding position to win the game. It was all smiles and cheers until the last minute of the fourth quarter. Around the 1:22 mark, when Rose has already recorded 23-9-9, attempted a jump shot leaping off his left leg from the lane.

That’s it. It was the end. Derrick Rose was on the floor, withering in pain. Within a few moments, the star was carried off the court for further medical examination. Despite a comfortable 103-91 win, there was a grim atmosphere in the Bulls locker room. “It’s like the saddest win,” said Kyle Korver. Moreover, it didn’t come up out of the blue. ESPN reported that Rose had been dealing with turf toe, back spasms, pulled groin, and foot injuries throughout the season and hadn’t played two games in a row since March 12, 2012. However, D-Rose, after missing the entire 2012-13 season, returned to the floor with the same expectations set around him.

2. Rose with a double whammy

To be honest, this injury should also be part of the ACL tear comeback story. Before you scratch your head in confusion, let me just break it to you. Rose played his first game after his ACL tear on October 29, 2013. While the star had a slow start to the season, averaging 15.9 points, suffered a medial meniscus tear in his right knee. It was yet another contact injury that will keep Rose out for the remainder of the season.

This time, fans didn’t have to wait longer to witness their star in action. Derrick Rose was back on the floor for the next season, 2014-15. In fact, he put up a decent show, averaging 17.7 points and 4.9 assists in 51 games. Nevertheless, the star’s athleticism took a hit compared to his healthy years.

3. Another curve ball

When I stated that Rose had a decent run in the 2014-15 season, it wasn’t the entire story. It was fine until the first half of the season and in February; the Bulls announced that Derrick Rose tore his medial meniscus again. But the team backed it up with a positive message as well. Notably, it’s the second meniscus tear in 15 months, but the management promised that it won’t keep the star away from the court like the last time.

The Bulls GM, Gar Forman, speaking to ESPN said, “In comparison to what Derrick’s had to go through the last several years, this surgery really was minor… It was a quick procedure. He had it done, and he was able to walk out of the hospital.” However, by now, Rose had lost all his confidence in his game, as Forman further added, “I know he’s really anxious to get back on the floor with his teammates.” But the feeling wasn’t going to stay for longer, as Rose pulled up his sock one more time, gearing up for his return.

This time, he had a decent comeback, averaging 16.5 ppg and 18.0 ppg in back-to-back seasons. Eventually, after the first season, the Bulls gave up on the star and Rose’s turbulent journey had begun.

4. The Final push

If not for a career-ending injury, it was a seriously turbulent period in Rose’s career. It was during the 2017-18 season when Rose was all over the place, struggling to find his rhythm and a place in the Minnesota Timberwolves lineup. Moreover, he also battled with ankle injuries throughout the season. He played only 9 games, averaging 5.8 points.

The Wolves still had their trust left in the star and proceeded with the next season. This is where Rose broke all his shackles and produced a career-high performance against the Utah Jazz. During Halloween 2018, D-Rose had an emotional night, scoring 50 points with a 19-31 FG and took the Wolves to a clutch 128-125 win. He didn’t just top the scoreboard, but also sunk two clutch free throws and a game-saving block with three seconds remaining on the clock.

Following the game, speaking to the interviewer, Rose said, “I played my heart out… My teammates told me before the game, just play my game. And tonight was a hell of a night.” Following this game, D-Rose turned into a veteran bench player and played numerous crucial performances for his franchises. Notably, he appeared in the Sixth Man of the Year Award conversation, finishing sixth, seventh, and third in the ranking for three consecutive years.

Plenty of superstars may come, but it’s not all the time you find a player with a fighting spirit, who continues to play despite the setbacks. Truly a HoF-worthy player. What do you make of his inspiring journey? Does he deserve a Hall of Fame recognition? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.