Fact check: Did Derrick Rose retire from the NBA? Viral tweet debunked
Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose has been the focus of a parody tweet that claimed he was retiring after 15 seasons. Let's explore how this came about, and if there's truth to what basketball fans have been talking about.
In a post by @wojdespn on X, the former Memphis Tiger reportedly retired on Saturday while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
However, this account is a parody of ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, and there's no proof that Rose retired.
This has been a problem in X as parody accounts can have a verified check if they pay the social media platform for that status. This allows the post to come up in algorithms, allowing even nonfollowers to see it. NBA fans should take extra time to double-check whether the news they read is legitimate or not.
Chicago Bulls panel gets fooled by the fake Derrick Rose retirement news
The Adrian Wojnarowski parody account fooled a lot of X users with the fake announcement of Derrick Rose's retirement. A few Facebook sports pages even created graphics, and some even passed it as legitimate news.
During the live matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards on Saturday, commentators Stacy King and Adam Armin announced on their broadcast that Rose had retired.
"It is out on the internet that Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Derrick Rose is retiring after 15 seasons," King, a former Bulls player, said.
More Facebook pages followed through garnering reactions and well-wishes for Rose. The post by Insider Sports Picks accumulated more than 60,000 reactions and has not yet been pulled down even after it was exposed as fake news.
Derrick Rose has been battling injuries throughout the 2023-23 NBA season that limited him to just 24 out of 68 games. He has missed nine straight games. The last time he saw action was on Feb. 28 against the Minnesota Timberwolves where he was only limited to less than six minutes.
The 35-year-old, when playing for the Grizzlies, has provided 8.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 16.6 minutes. He has shot 46.1%, including 36.6% beyond the 3-point line.