Derrick Rose’s Long & Winding Path Back to Memphis

Savior. Icon. Cautionary tale. Mentor. Rose’s journey back to Memphis has been arduous and unpredictable, but he hopes to end his story on a bright note.

Every year in March, like many other American sports fans, I am glued to my television watching college basketball. March Madness is a sporting event that transcends the bubble of sports fandom and bridges the gap with popular culture. There is just something special about seeing a group of young athletes go on a run in pursuit of basketball immortality. One of my favorite tournament runs to watch was the 2008 Memphis Tigers that were coached by John Calipari and led by do-it-all point guard Derrick Rose.

That Tigers team went 38–2 in the regular season and ran through the entire tournament field before falling short in the National Championship game against Kansas. It was a great moment for the University of Memphis, the best the team had done since the 1992 season when Penny Hardaway led the team to an Elite 8 appearance. Rose would go on to be the number one overall pick the following year in the NBA Draft to his hometown Chicago Bulls.

It was the stuff of dreams, but what has followed is a career of incredible highs and devastating lows. Now coming up on his 35th birthday, Rose is back in Memphis. But this time it is with the Grizzlies, in a capacity…