Derrick Rose states in his autobiography “I’ll Show You” that the Chicago media helped turn Bulls fans against him.
After Rose tore his ACL in the 2012 playoffs and sat out the entire 2012-13 season, his reputation in his hometown of Chicago took a hit. The Chicago media took a lot of shots at Rose for not playing, even though the former MVP was never ready to return.
After Rose suffered his second knee injury in 2013, the guard started to be more cautious with his body and sat out games. That's when, according to Rose, the Chicago media got out of hand and bashed him pretty much non-stop, influencing Bulls fans way too much.
Via Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune:
Rose is not a big fan of the media, especially Chicago media. He believes Chicago media turned on him toward the end of his time with the Bulls, and he withdrew rather than fight back.
Rose believes the media turned Bulls fans against him at the end of his time with the team, and that hurt. “But don’t get me wrong,” he writes. “That was just at the end and it was me who didn’t handle the criticism right. There really was love for so long. I love Chicago, and I still love the Bulls.”
Chicago traded Rose to the New York Knicks in the summer of 2016. When Rose came back to the United Center as a visitor in the 2016-17 season, he was booed by the fans every time he touched the ball.
However, it appears Bulls fans learned that everything they read about Rose from the Chicago media wasn't true. Rose got MVP chants from the fans this season at the United Center. The 30-year-old averaged 18.0 points with the Minnesota Timberwolves this season and scored a career-high 50 points on Halloween against the Utah Jazz. It was a performance which captivated the NBA, since Rose has undergone four knee surgeries since winning the MVP award in 2011.
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