“He’s a Hall of Fame Player”: Knicks HC Gives Derrick Rose His Flowers as Ex-MVP Returns to Old Stomping Grounds

The youngest player to win MVP in NBA history, Derrick Rose, who now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, will be returning to the Knicks’ stadium at the Madison Square Garden for a showdown on Tuesday. In the pre-game conference, Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau stated, “The thing that stood out in his entire career, to me he’s a hall of fame player, was probably his humility.” This comes after the Knicks did not extend Rose’s contract in 2023, which led him to sign up with the Memphis Grizzlies in July 2023 as a free agent. Memphis is also where he balled back in college.

When asked how will it be to see Rose return to his former team’s court on Tuesday, Coach Thibodeau stated, “It’ll be good to see him. It’s no fun when you’re coaching against him….he’s a great guy.”

The Knicks’ head coach also added, “Whatever role you ask him to play, he excels at it.” Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau go as far back as the late 2000s and early 2010s when Rose won the youngest MVP in history at age 22 while playing for the Chicago Bulls under Tom’s coaching leadership in 2011.

Read more: LeBron James Shares Wholesome Moment With Ex-MVP Rival Derrick Rose

About Rose being the youngest player to ever win MVP, Coach Tom reiterated, “When he was the youngest MVP, the thing that stood out was probably the humility… the humility to be a great teammate he’s always had that and the role he has in Memphis right now, you couldn’t ask for a better person to be around Ja.”

New team, old roots

In October 2023, interviews surfaced where the NBA veteran Rose when asked about the difference between the Knicks training camp as opposed to the Grizzlies camp, stated, “It’s ran different. I’m just going to say that. It’s ran different. Here, it’s more smoother. It’s more fluent.” This statement comes soon after he disclosed considering retirement after the Knicks dropped him.

With over 15 seasons in the bag, Derrick Rose is still going strong at 35 years of age and despite his injuries, is all set to take on his old team in the game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Rose has already missed the last 15 Grizzlies games due to a strain on his left hamstring. All eyes are on Rose after he gets his flowers from his longtime former coach Tom Thibodeau.

Watch the Story: “I Get Nightmares of That, 4 Times a Year”: Reminiscing Derrick Rose’ MVP Season, Ex-Knick Showers Grizzlies Veteran With Massive Praise