Before tearing his ACL in the 2012 playoffs, Derrick Rose was the most athletic point guard in NBA history. The former Chicago Bulls superstar was dunking on everyone en route to becoming the youngest MVP in league history at the age of 22 during the 2010-11 season.
It seems some people have forgotten just how explosive Rose was prior to the ACL tear. With that said, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the best dunks of his career.
D-Rose Soars High Over Barbosa
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick by his hometown Bulls in the 2008 draft, Derrick Rose won Rookie of the Year during the 2008-09 season. He averaged 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for the team.
Rose also had a few poster dunks, starting with this one on Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa.
No Mercy For Randolph
Rose was never afraid to challenge big men at the basket because he knew he could just elevate and dunk on them. Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph learned that the hard way.
Off a nice give-and-go pass from Chicago center Brad Miller, Rose exploded to the rim and dunked all over Randolph. The Bulls bench couldn't contain their excitement, most notably Joakim Noah.
Rose-Noah Connection
When a point guard and center are running the fastbreak together, the play usually ends up with the point guard dishing it off to the big guy for an easy layup.
But when you have a guard like Rose who can jump out of the gym, you have the luxury of getting fancy and switching roles.
Noah, who has become one of the best passers in NBA history from the big man position, caught the Washington Wizards off guard and threw a perfect alley-oop pass to Rose.
D-Rose Ends Oden
Derrick Rose didn't care who was in front of him at a young age. Whether you were an old veteran or a fellow number one overall pick, Rose was always looking for blood at the basket.
Greg Oden didn't end up having the stellar career everyone thought he was going to have with the Portland Trail Blazers due to injuries. The former No. 1 overall pick, though, can say he was on the other end of a Rose poster slam.
And just like the dunk on Randolph, Noah once again made his presence felt, this time with a loud roar that was caught by the mic.
Derrick Channels Inner Wilkins
For 12 years, the Atlanta Hawks were home to “The Human Highlight Film” a.k.a. Dominique Wilkins.
Wilkins threw down spectacular dunks for Hawks fans every single night there was a game in Atlanta from 1982-1993. We say all of this because Rose completed a Wilkins-esque dunk during his second year in the league in Atlanta, where Hawks fans were left speechless.
Bulls small forward John Salmons threw the ball near the basket on the fastbreak, and Rose did the rest.
The Dragon Slayer
Rose was just getting started in terms of his vengeance on the rim. His next target was in Phoenix and his nickname was “The Dragon.”
Goran Dragic was playing for the Suns at the time and he got caught in no man's land. However, the lefty thought he had time to judge Rose's takeoff point.
Spoiler alert: he didn't.
In fact, Rose even scratched his back with the ball and seemingly waited for Dragic to enter his poster.
Bulls TV commentator Stacey King also became a legend after this Rose dunk. His trademark line of “What are you doing Dragic?!” was born:
Steal And Slam In Style
If he wanted to, Rose probably could have won a Slam Dunk Contest. However, he was more focused on winning games and making the Bulls relevant again in the post-Michael Jordan era.
Rose, though, did throw down some dunk contest-worthy slams in his career, and he did them so effortlessly as well.
While the Bulls were fighting for a playoff spot during the 2009-10 season and hosting the rival Boston Celtics, Rose stole the ball and finished the play in grand style for the United Center crowd.
Triple Treat For MSG
Every NBA superstar dreams about putting on a show at Madison Square Garden. After all, they don't call it the Mecca of Basketball for nothing.
During his MVP season, Derrick threw down three nasty dunks against the New York Knicks at MSG. The alley-oop is probably the most impressive one since Rose caught the ball around his chest area and dunked it.
Rose And The Back Scratcher
Ever since his high school days at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, Rose's patented dunk is the back scratcher.
When D-Rose used to put his head down and made up his mind he was going to dunk, there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop him.
The Knicks (again) and Utah Jazz were on the receiving ends of Rose's back scratcher dunks during his MVP year. He averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists that season. He’s still the youngest player in NBA history to win an MVP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mONjgOv6II
Rose Elevates And Shocks The Pistons
Rose had a knack for catching one-handed alley-oops. Maybe he was just in the air for so long he figured he'd make things difficult for himself.
Against the Pistons in 2011, Rose took the imaginary elevator and threw down a vicious, one-handed alley-oop slam at home.
Joel Anthony Who?
In the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Derrick Rose had arguably one of the best poster dunks of all time.
Down in South Beach, Heat center Joel Anthony was slowly starting to establish himself as a stout shot-blocker. Rose must have heard the noise and decided to find out for himself.
What happened next was a play that will be talked about forever.
Watch And Learn, Young Blood
In the 2011-12 season, Jeremy Lin took over the NBA with Linsanity.
As the reigning MVP, though, Rose didn't really care about the hype. He was going to let his game do the talking against the Knicks and Lin, and show the youngster what being a superstar point guard was really about.
Rose not only outplayed Lin and led the Bulls to a win over the Knicks, but he also had a tomahawk dunk to seal the victory.
Turning Back The Clock
Even after his ACL tear, Rose has had a few vintage dunks.
During the 2016-17 season with the Knicks, Rose crossed over the entire New Orleans Pelicans roster and finished the play with a tough dunk in traffic.
And just like in Chicago, Noah was with his buddy Rose in New York, cheering his teammate on.
Derrick Rose, now with the Pistons, is no longer flying through the air after undergoing four knee surgeries.
However, he's still one of the best point guards in the game and remains a blur in transition.
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to COVID-19, Rose was averaging 18.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists for the Pistons.
Now, Rose is a key contributor for a New York Knicks team that snagged the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference in a resurgence under Tom Thibodeau.
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