It’s been nearly four years since Derrick Rose donned a Bulls uniform. But among basketball fans throughout Chicago, there are few more beloved than the 31-year-old Englewood native.
That reverence was on full display Thursday. As All-Star festivities begin to ramp up across the city, Rose hosted a book signing (for his 2019 release "I’ll Show You") at Barbara’s Bookstore on State Street. The turnout was immense:
That video is trimmed down to half of the original, for what it’s worth. Upon his arrival, chants and cheers ranging from ‘we love you, Pooh!’ to ‘MVP’ rang through the halls, a hullabaloo Rose cracked a smile through. Rose has been greeted by ‘MVP’ chants in Chicago before — both before and after his Bulls tenure — but never quite like this.
“Kind of surreal, especially in this environment,” Rose said of the reception. “In a bookstore, this is something I never thought about, especially coming from where I come from.”
Then, he went to work greeting the massive amount of fans in attendance — in apparel ranging from Chicago red, to Knicks azure, to Cavaliers maroon, to Minnesota neon green, to Pistons blue — and offering his autograph to each. In spite of protests from security that he was only to sign fans’ books, he even inked a jersey or two.
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“I'm a man of the people, man. I get great energy, I won't shy away from being around people that I grew up with or just being around the city, and I think that's why you get this turnout the way it is where they feel something,” Rose said. “It's a vibe, it's something that they feel to come out and support me the way that they do.”
In some circles, people thought Rose might get a chance to participate in the All-Star game in his hometown. In his first season with the Pistons, Rose is shooting a career-high percentage from the field and his per-36 scoring average (24.9 points per game) bests even his 2011 MVP campaign. He finished fourth in the final fan voting returns.
But Rose said he wasn’t disappointed being left off the roster but admitted that making that appearance in Chicago would have been special. He originally planned to participate in the Skills Challenge as consolation but pulled out just over a week ago.
“I'm here just to show love. Even if I'm not playing, I'm still here, so it shows what it's about. I just want to feel the energy of the city,” Rose said. “It's been a while since we had an All-Star game here… So that's something that everybody's been fiending for, it's a buzz that's been going on the entire year. So I love it, I'm a Chicagoan.”
That much is true and will never change. Evidently, neither will the deep-rooted appreciation the city has for him.
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