Lakers News: Former MVP Intimidated LeBron James

The league's oldest active player has outlasted yet another former superstar.

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former three-time Chicago Bulls All-Star point guard Derrick Rose, part of a wave of speed demon, high-flying players at his position in the early 2010s, negotiated a contract buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies ahead of what would have been his 17th season, and officially announced the end of his career via his official Instagram.

"You believe in me through the highs and lows, my constant when everything else seemed uncertain," Rose wrote, in part, to NBA fans in his social post. "You showed me what love truly meant. You turned the court into my sanctuary, a home where I could express myself freely. You made every early morning and late night we spent together worth every drop of sweat. You reminded me that I could always rely on you, that in every moment of doubt, you would show me what I'm capable of. You introduced me to new places and cultures that a kid from Chicago could have never imagined. "

Rose was such a sheer force of nature in his pre-ACL and -meniscus tear years that he even intimidated the league's best player at the time, now-Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA combo forward LeBron James — at least, to hear another now-retired ex-Bull tell it.

Three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (who never overlapped with Rose in Chicago), noted on a "Run Your Face" podcast interview reflected on Rose's reputation around the league in his springy early days.

Even Rose's own teammates were stunned by his athleticism.

“There was a time when [then-Bulls combo guard] Kirk Hinrich was playing with him," Crawford said. "I hadn’t seen D-Rose up close, and Kirk was like, Mal, he’s different.’ I’m like, ‘Man, is he better than this person?’ He’s like, ‘He’s better than him."

The exact nature of what about Rose made James fearful wasn't implicitly stated during the pod.

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Rose's versatility as a dunker also stood out to Crawford.

“He got a steal, and I was just like, ‘What dunk is he going to do next?’" Crawford noted. "He just did three different dunks. He casually, calmly, coolly, stole it, walked up, touched his toes, and ducked his head from the rim."

James and Rose were once teammates, briefly, on the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers, for just 16 games (seven starts). Rose was by then primarily a below-the-rim bench player, sadly, and would from that season on miss at least 30 games a year until the end of his career.

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