What happens when a hometown hero quietly raises his voice? Derrick Rose, whose name still echoes in NBA history books, has never let anyone slip him from memory. From the hardwood dominance that crowned him the youngest MVP in NBA history to the tear-stained days of redemption in Minnesota, Rose’s journey was never just about basketball. It was about his hometown, Englewood. It was about Chicago. And now, as the man who once ruled the United Center silently calls attention to his roots, is there a hint of him preparing to lead something bigger than basketball?
Englewood, once a thriving jewel of South Side Chicago, shaped Rose’s worldview long before he shaped the league. That part of the city, which was once pulsing with pride and business, has now long been haunted by decline and neglect, wiping out the decades of legacy. But in a series of cryptic Instagram stories, Rose, now 36, has offered something no stat line could measure: hope! He didn’t say much, but his message was loud and clear for Englewood to hear.
The first story of his Instagram account on Saturday, a 1945 black-and-white image of a booming Halsted Street, had the words: “naw WE changing that. Beautify Englewood AGAIN.” He stamped—“DRose’s” above a faded Sears building like a quiet declaration. In the next slide, a 1956 view from a crowded bus on 63rd showed a vibrant district still alive. This time, his caption read, “I can see it clearer now… chasing it!” Rose made it evident with these two frames and a few words: he is planning, not just recalling something from his town. Whether it’s a real estate investment, a community project, or something more significant, this seems to be a fresh chapter in his legacy off the court, but not off the record.
This was a powerful story from a former MVP using the past to sketch out a future, where he doesn’t just remember or talk about Englewood, but he wants to rebuild it. His caption choices echo like a campaign. “Beautify Englewood AGAIN” feels less like nostalgia and more like mission branding to make it great again. What caught our attention was the use of “WE” which stands out too, signaling collective action and wanting his fans to join in too. This isn’t just Derrick Rose, the individual, perhaps it’s DRose the catalyst.
And in many ways, this fits the arc of his career. Once carrying an entire city’s championship aspirations on struggling knees, a player now seems ready to carry something heavier—hope, maybe even infrastructure. He’s not just chasing it. He’s owning it. “D.R.O.S.E.’S” scrawled across the photos on his Instagram Stories like a vision board doesn’t just hint at property ownership; it suggests a subtle awareness to claim history and rewrite it and eliminate what’s been negative so far.
Derrick Rose’s 2008 Reflection on Englewood’s Decline Adds Deeper Weight to His Latest Message
Looking back at the block you grew up on has a certain type of nostalgia. For Derrick Rose, those memories run deep, but with wounds as well. Early in his NBA career, Rose mentioned in an interview in 2008 a version of Englewood still rooted in community values. “When I was 10, I didn’t know a neighborhood greater,” he told ESPN. “If you had a fight, it was just fists. At the park, it was just positive stuff.” But by the time he reached adulthood, the shift had already begun. “Now, it’s crazy. You have kids dropping out of school at 13, and everyone has a gun.”
Even as Rose, whose HOF sparked debate, rocketed the stardom as the top pick in the 2008 NBA draft, his connection to Englewood remained both emotional and conflicted. In October 2007, just before the draft, Rose went back to his old school and found out that five people had been killed in the area in three days of violence. “Two of them were boys shot in the face,” he said. The experience displayed the harsh reality, and he couldn’t keep visiting unguarded. His mother insisted, and soon Rose had reportedly hired two personal security guards for the return trips.
May 4, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose (1) is presented the MVP trophy before game one of the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images
Despite the violence and instability, Rose never lost sight of the environment he lived during his childhood. The same neighborhood court, where he battled older players as a kid, became his competitive training. “If we didn’t have that court, I would be lost right now,” he said in 2014. It’s that same sentiment now echoing through his Instagram stories. But now, it is not just about beautifying a place; it’s about reclaiming safety. Especially of a community that once made him who he is today.
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