“Much love and respect pooh!!!Salute”: LeBron James reacts to Derrick Rose's retirement
LeBron James was one of the NBA stars paying a rich tribute to Derrick Rose after the iconic guard announced his retirement earlier on Thursday. Once endorsing the Chicago Bulls mainstay for MVP, James reacted to Rose's retirement post on Instagram with a wholesome message.
Responding to the message, James said:
"Much love and respect Pooh!!! Salute"
James had famously declared Rose as one of the potential candidates to win MVP in 2011, and it turned out to be exactly that as the 'Windy City Assassin' became the youngest player in NBA history to win MVP. To add, he also won the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star player for the next three seasons.
He took home the silverware in 2010-11 when he averaged 25.0 points and 7.7 assists per game to lead Chicago to a league-best 62-20 record before they dashed the Eastern Conference finals.
LeBron James has been lavish in his praise of Derrick Rose quite a few times. The 4x NBA champion called Rose's 50-point blitz a game that was a testament to his will and grit to play the highest level despite enduring multiple injuries. Now, he had another rich tribute to one of the most prolific guards of all time.
Derrick Rose retires after storied 16-year career in the NBA
Derrick Rose's retirement was the topic of X (formerly Twitter) town after the guard requested to be waived by the Memphis Grizzlies. Days later, he posted a cryptic post on social media, and hours later he announced the time of his career. This comes after he stated in April this season that he wanted to return to action and was working on his rehab and weight room work.
Rose played just 24 games last season for the Grizzlies averaging 8.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He finished his career averaging 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 games that included 518 starts. He played just 77 games over the last three seasons as injuries continued to hamper his career.
While the next stage of his career remains unclear, the NBA world will forever see him as one of the most explosive and brilliant players to have taken the hardwood. The next question amid all the retirement buzz is whether Derrick Rose will be a Hall of Famer in the years to come.