How Derrick Rose's Injuries Impact Hall Of Fame Eligibility

As Derrick Rose announces his retirement, the question that immediately arises is his candidacy for the Hall of Fame.

Contents

The Derrick Rose Hall of Fame Affair
Derrick Rose Hall of Fame Odds
Career Statistics of Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose Career Highlights

Every eligible former MVP has been entered. Will Rose continue this tradition?

He certainly did not have the same journey as the other 35 winners of the prize. At 22, he was the youngest person to win one. But a torn ACL a year later and numerous future knee injuries made him a completely different player over the last 13 years of his career.

Here’s Rose’s best case for entry.

The Derrick Rose Hall of Fame Affair

Rose’s first four seasons in the NBA rival any in league history.

After being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Rose won the Rookie of the Year award in a landslide, receiving 111 of a possible 120 first-place votes.

Rose made his first All-Star Game in his second season, becoming one of the great young guards in the league.

The third season of Rose was truly special and came out of nowhere. He began the preseason by boldly asking: “Why can’t I win the MVP?» His prediction was met mostly with amusement – LeBron James was in the midst of back-to-back awards, while Rose was not generally considered a top 10 player.

Rose proved the doubters wrong, averaging 25.0 points per game while leading the Bulls to a 21-win improvement in the standings. The Bulls finished with a record 62 wins and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, ultimately losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat.

MVP at only 22 years old. pic.twitter.com/IV8ti1Z7Cj

– Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 26, 2024

This MVP award has come under scrutiny over time. Rose ended what would have been a five-year MVP streak for James, but Rose won the vote hands down and was widely considered the best player in the league that year. He was the best athlete, an unstoppable scorer and he was just starting to show what he could do.

Rose then appeared in his third and final All-Star Game the following season. He suffered his ACL injury in the first game of the 2012 NBA Playoffs and his career was never the same. Although he was still a good scorer for the rest of his career, he lost his special athleticism and never made another All-Star team.

Rose enjoyed a career renaissance as a bench scorer, finishing sixth, seventh and third in Sixth Man of the Year voting in three consecutive seasons. During his career, he averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists per game.

Those are good numbers but they’re not Hall of Fame worthy on their own. Basketball-Reference Hall of Fame Odds Calculator gives Rose only a 10.5 percent chance of making the club.

When you look at what Rose has done outside of the NBA, his candidacy seems a little stronger.

Rose was a great high school player in Chicago, winning back-to-back state titles and being named Mr. Basketball in 2007. During his first year of college basketball, he led Memphis to the national championship game, losing to Kansas in overtime.

Rose also had success playing for Team USA over the summer. He helped America win gold in the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Cup tournaments.

Rose’s Hall of Fame case is somewhat unique considering the number of injuries he suffered. The player most comparable to him is probably Bill Walton, who only had two All-Star seasons and 10 years overall due to numerous injuries. Walton also won the MVP award in 1978 and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1993.

If Rose had the same championship success as Walton, then he would have a better chance of getting in. He will always be a legend in Chicago and deserves to have his jersey retired there for what he did to bring the Bulls back to relevance.

But as things stand, Rose probably finds himself just ahead of the hallowed club.

Derrick Rose Hall of Fame Odds

Rose has a 10.5% chance of entering the Hall of Fame, according to the Basketball-Reference probability calculator. This puts him on the same page as Donovan Mitchell (12.9%), Andre Iguodala (12.7%), Sam Cassell (10.5%) and Trae Young (9.4%), to not name just a few.

Basketball Reference uses a number of factors to calculate a player’s Hall of Fame chances, such as his statistics, championships, maximum win shares, All-Star selections and height.