Derrick Rose doesn’t think NBA fans will remember him much longer

Derrick Rose made NBA history. He’s not convinced history will remember Derrick Rose.

Rose, the youngest MVP in league history, offered a surprisingly modest assessment of his basketball legacy during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“Truth to be told, given how my story has unfolded, in a few years they probably won’t remember me anymore,” Rose said, via Eurohoops.

Rose pointed to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as examples of how even some of basketball’s greatest players can fade from the consciousness of younger generations.

“Many young people today don’t even know Wilt Chamberlain, even though he broke a ton of records and won everything,” Rose said. “Some don’t know Bill Russell, even though no one won as much as he did.”

Rose’s own résumé isn’t exactly forgettable. He became NBA MVP at 22 in 2011 after averaging 25.0 points and leading the Bulls to 62 wins. His career changed dramatically after tearing his ACL during the 2012 playoffs, beginning a long series of injuries that robbed him of some of the explosiveness that made him a superstar.

Rose eventually reinvented himself and lasted 16 NBA seasons, including a brief 16-game stop with the Cavaliers during the chaotic 2017-18 season. Chicago retired his No. 1 earlier this year.

As for what Rose hopes people remember? “That I played hard,” he said. “That I was a winner.”

That’s probably underselling it. Players come and go. Memories fade. Rose is right about that.

But the youngest MVP in NBA history has a pretty good head start on being remembered.