It will be fair to say that Derrick Rose became the biggest name in Chicago Bulls history since the days of Michael Jordan. Until an ACL tear and subsequent injuries derailed his career, Rose was viewed as and played as a truly generational star, becoming the first player since MJ to win the MVP award as a Bulls player.
However, that does not come close to explaining exactly what D-Rose stands for, for Chicago, something the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong may have a fair idea about. The 37-year-old recently spoke about his meeting with Rose, claiming that the Bulls legend was everything he wanted him to be.
"That was one of the coolest days of my life"
Pete Crow-Armstrong talks about the time he met Chicago legend Derrick Rose 🌹🏀 pic.twitter.com/yuTlDj0rSn
— MLB (@MLB) February 25, 2026
“That was one of like the coolest days of my life. Yeah, D-Rose was big in my house growing up. I am learning like what he really meant to the city. He gave me a lot of his time one day, and he just reminded me that like, I am meant to be there. He really just took the time to get to know me and hear my story,” he said per a post on X by MLB, before explaining that Rose seemingly had an answer for everything he was unsure about.
“It almost felt like he had an answer for everything, that I was either unsure of or, but coming from him like, he was Chicago, and is Chicago really. But that guy is like everything and more that I wanted him to be. That was about the coolest thing ever,” Crow-Armstrong said.
Rose was drafted first overall by the Bulls in 2008, immediately breathing life into a struggling franchise by securing Rookie of the Year honors and dragging the team to a 41-41 record. However, his best season came during the 2010-11 run.
En route to becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history, Rose led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals, positioning Chicago as a legitimate championship threat for the first time since the Michael Jordan era. Of course, the fairytale was quickly derailed when he suffered an ACL tear during the opening game of the 2012 playoffs, the first of multiple injuries that eventually limited his potential.
Still, as the Cubs star claimed, Rose is and was Chicago itself, and remains a major source of inspiration for young stars across sports.
