Derrick Rose reveals decision that led to retirement

In the latest episode of Jeff Teague's Club 520 Podcast, Derrick Rose explained how he contacted the Memphis Grizzlies and expressed his desire to retire from basketball after spending a single season with the franchise.

"I didn't want to speak on it, but people thought they weighed me or that it was just a process of them trying to do business or figure out the numbers on the back end, which has nothing to do with me," Rose confessed .

"But I can't control this. What I did was reach out to [Grizzlies Manager] Zach Kleiman. I reached out to my team and every one prior and told them. I reached out to Adidas so that everybody's on the same accord. Just doing business. That's something that I always did throughout my whole career."

A shocking retirement

After playing the 2023-24 season in which he averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds, the Grizzlies shockingly waived D-Rose ahead of the team's October training camp.

Apparently, the move was made at the request of the former NBA star. Interestingly, D-Rose surrendered his $3.3MM 2024-25 salary out of last year's two-year, $6.6 million contract he signed, giving Memphis major cap relief.

From all of these, the writing is already on the wall. A few days later, Derrick formally announced his intent to walk away from the game for good, concluding his 15-year professional run that earned him the 2010-11 NBA MVP award and three All-Star selections.

Family first

As one of the most beloved players ever, D-Rose's decision to hang up his sneakers sent shockwaves in the NBA and the entire sports world. But the league's youngest MVP winner has been finally compelled to call it quits due to his personal life, specifically from the growth of his children.

"My younger kids, they don't mention the game at all. They don't ask whether they are going to the game. They don't say nothing, bro," Rose said.

"And with PJ, I had to talk to him slightly differently. At first, when I told him, of course, I was devastated and hurt. But after I kept talking to him, he was excited because he's like, 'Now, I get this individual time with my dad."

Related: The Grizzlies have a gem in Yuki Kawamura who wants to keep learning English and the game