Detroit Pistons legend Richard “Rip” Hamilton played one season with Derrick Rose on the Chicago Bulls during the 2011-12 lockout season.
During that campaign, Rose signed a $300 million endorsement deal with Adidas and a $94 million contract with the Bulls.
The youngest MVP in NBA history, though, didn't understand the magnitude of what just happened, according to Hamilton.
On the latest episode of All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Hamilton tells the story about Rose asking his brother, Reggie, if it was safe to buy a Bentley after signing his Adidas and Bulls contract.
“Rip” couldn't believe it because he had just seen Derrick sign two life-changing contracts:
“We in the locker room,” Hamilton said. “I looked at him in the locker room and said, ‘Bro, do you know you just signed for $400 million?' And he like (laughing awkwardly) didn't even know the impact of that.
“And then I told his brother Reggie after the game, ‘Yo congratulations.' He was like, ‘Rip, my brother don't even know what just happened. He called me and asked me the other day is it okay if he buys a Bentley.'
“How many dudes you know like that? That just made $400 million and call his big bro and ask is it cool for me to buy a Bentley? That just tells you what type of dude he is.”
Rose won the MVP in the 2010-11 campaign with the Bulls, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to win the prestigious award. He put up 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists while making only $5,546,160.
The “Derrick Rose Rule” was created after Rose's MVP season. The rule allows young stars to qualify for a higher maximum salary – 30 percent of the cap instead of 25 percent – early in their careers.
After winning the MVP award in 2011, Rose signed a five-year, $94.3 million extension with the Bulls in the summer of 2011. Derrick made $5,629,082 in 2011-12 but that dollar figure jumped up to $16,402,500 in 2012-13.
Bulls fans gave Rose two standing ovations when the Pistons came to the United Center this season. Rose figures to be the third-most-popular player in Chicago franchise history after Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, respectively, for a while.
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