Derrick Rose's return to the Bulls this season was one of basketball's best stories. ESPN agrees.
The nominees for the 2015 ESPYs were announced Wednesday, and Rose was listed among those up for the Best Comeback Athlete award.
A pair of knee injuries cost Rose all but 10 games in two seasons heading into the 2014-15 campaign. But the former MVP showed flashes of his old self during the year, finishing with averages of 17.7 points and 4.9 assists in 30 minutes per game. He was limited to just 51 games after suffering a second torn meniscus in March, but he returned for the end of the regular season and helped the Bulls earn the No. 3 seed in the East.
In the playoffs he averaged 20.3 points and 6.5 assists per game, averaging 37.8 minutes and draining a buzzer-beater to help the Bulls beat the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the semifinals.
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Rose's competition for the award is Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn.
Gronkowski also battled through knee injuries to produce 82 receptions, 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Super Bowl champion Patriots.
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Rodriguez was suspended for the entire 2014 season but has turned in a historic 2015 campaign, becoming the fourth player to reach 2,000 career RBIs and the 29th player to reach 3,000 hits. A-Rod has the Yankees sitting at 38-33, two games back in the AL East and atop the AL Wild Card standings.
Vonn missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics with an ACL tear. But in 2015 she set the record for most World Cup wins and became the second skier to win 19 seasons titles.
Rose isn't the only Chicago athlete up for nomination. Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews are both up for Best NHL Player, while the Blackhawks have been nominated for Best Team.
Devin Hester is up for Best Record-Breaking Performance after he scored his NFL-record 20th return for a touchdown this past season while playing for the Falcons.