Happy Birthday Derrick Rose!

In the wake of his 24th birthday, let’s pay homage to one of the best athletes to play in our league today – Derrick Rose.

Rose is one of the most humble athletes, and he’s the embodiment of what we all want to see in our favorite athletes. He doesn’t shy away from being a model citizen for our youth. He embraces it. When you think about it, how many athletes can you name that gave a hefty amount of credit to everyone else but themselves – including his mom – at his MVP press conference?

He mentioned that he asked the question “Why not?” when asked if he could be the MVP of the league. In his press conference he addressed that just to make sure he didn’t come off as arrogant or narcissistic.

I think Rose’s quiet confidence is something that everyone wants to have. That’s what captivates us so much when talking about Rose. He’s a very, very good player but he doesn’t throw that in anyone’s face. He lets his play talk for him. He’s a competitor, but won’t allow his competitive edge to overtake him. He wants to win but won’t go throw everyone else under the bus to get there.

At the end of the day, Rose’s personality and his likability are something that we wish all of our friends could possess, and even ourselves at times. Rose possesses a heart of gold and epitomizes how competitors should behave.

Not too long ago, Rose had a press conference for the launch of his new shoe, the D Rose 3. Rose broke down in tears because of what he has accomplished and where he’s going. He felt honored to have the support system that he does.

When you think of a shoe release, that’s normally a moment where there are no tears. There’s normally joy because of monetary ambition.

But Rose was so inspired by this and felt so blessed that he couldn’t help but break down. All he could think of was everything that the city of Chicago has been through and how his fans support him. I’ve never seen that before in any athlete in any sport. Rose was truly thankful and showed how genuinely honored he was by everyone’s support.

If everyone could be like this, the world would be a much happier place. It’s too often that people aren’t aware of what’s going on around them. For Rose, this is about much more than him. This is about Chicago. This is about family, friends and loved ones. It’s bigger than him, and he knows that.

Rose isn’t exactly perfect, and he’ll tell you that. He’s had his encounters with the wrong people in the wrong places but that doesn’t change who he is. He’s Derrick Rose and he’s going to keep being Derrick Rose – fame and fortune won’t change that.