Former basketball player Derrick Rose is eligible to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after the 2027-28 season. But the question is: is he a Hall-of-Famer? As much admiration as I have for the way D-Rose played the game of basketball, I do not believe that he is a Hall-of-Famer.
There is a lot of evidence pointing to the case for Rose being in the Hall of Fame. For starters, D-Rose was a crucial piece to the Chicago Bulls’ success during his early years with the team.
As far as his personal accolades, Rose is a three-time all-star, which he accomplished three years in a row from 2010-12. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009, making the All-Rookie First Team to boot.
By far, Rose’s most impressive accolade was winning the NBA MVP in 2011. With this, he made NBA history, becoming the youngest player to ever win the award — which is still true to this day, according to Basketball Reference. In that same year, D-Rose was also named to the All-NBA 1st Team.
Without a doubt, D-Rose’s accomplishments were no easy feat. But one issue with his Hall of Fame case is that his greatness was only for a short time. After the 2010-11 season, injuries plagued his career, which set him back from his true potential in the NBA.
While Rose’s injuries were in no way his fault, unfortunately they hurt his Hall of Fame case. Availability is the best ability, and D-Rose just wasn’t available.
Rose is arguably the biggest “what if” in NBA history. Without injury issues, he would have easily been one of the best point guards of all time — and probably would’ve added some rings to his accolades, too. While his prime was one of the greatest in the NBA, it was too short, and in my opinion that is why he is not a Hall-of-Famer.
Rodney Prunty is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
