Derrick Rose may not look like him now, but when he played for the Chicago Bulls, he was arguably one of the most exciting players in the entire NBA. One of his most memorable moments in his career came in 2010 when Goran he dunked against Dragic.
prime rose
Rose was just 21 and in his second season with the Association. Fresh off the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, Rose was looking for an encore for his sophomore season. So in his January home on-court game against the Phoenix Suns, Rose found the perfect opportunity to show off his athleticism.
Rose stole the ball from Luol Deng’s pass and immediately went on the offensive. He quickly ran to the basket and got up to dunk Suns guard Goran Dragic with both hands. The crowd was in awe as Rose posed for a few seconds before stepping down.
should have known better
Ironically, Dragic eventually made it to the Bulls and signed with Chicago as a free agent to help the team’s backcourt with veteran leadership and playoff experience. It didn’t take long for Dragic to be asked about it, explaining why the Slovenian had to at least try to block Rose’s shot.
“It was my second year in the league. The first year, I didn’t play much. So I started playing a little bit in the second year. So I had to go play that.” Dragic said. “Of course, if I had known now, I would never have gone.”
Rose’s dunk not only enlivened crowds of Phoenix and Bulls fans around the world, but it also served as a reminder of why Rose was so highly regarded when he left college. I was able to do things on the court that other players couldn’t imitate. His athleticism and explosive power made him one of the most dangerous points in his guard before losing his prime to an ACL injury.
