Tom Thibodeau pens emotional goodbye to Derrick Rose following NBA retirement

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau paid tribute to the career of Derrick Rose on Thursday in a statement released by the team after the veteran NBA guard announced his retirement earlier in the day. 

Rose, 35, revealed the decision Thursday morning in a post on social media to go along with full-page ads in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Commercial Appeal, Detroit Free Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Minneapolis Star Tribune to thank local fans in the cities he played for. 

In a lengthy statement, Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Chicago, Minnesota and New York, congratulated Rose for a “Hall of Fame career.” 

“Not only was he a great player, which I saw in the eyes of his opponents, he’s an even better person, teammate, husband and father,” Thibodeau said. “The true measure of a man is how well he handles adversity — nobody did it better. Through it all — from the pressure of playing in his home city, to being the youngest MVP in NBA history, through injuries in three consecutive seasons — he stood tall, never relented, and always came back.

“It was inspiring to watch him grow and push forward no matter what. He is and always will be a very special person. I will cherish our many fond memories together and look forward to watching his next chapter. I know it will be great and I wish him the very best in his retirement.”

Rose was the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and made history in 2011 when he became the youngest player in league history to win league MVP at 22 years old. 

He was named to the All-Star Game three times during his career.

While he was a star on the court, injuries to his knee hampered him throughout his NBA career. 

In comments following the retirement news, Rose has said that he wants to focus on his family in the next chapter of his life.