Like D Rose, Rodney is from Chicago. His favorite courts are in Calumet City, where he first started playing ball in an alleyway, amidst broken glass. And his favorite player is Derrick Rose. It's not hard to admire D Rose's skill. The first overall draft pick by the Chicago Bulls, Rose went on to become the youngest MVP in the history of the NBA. He's only the second Chicago Bull to ever receive the Most Valuable Player honor. The first? Michael Jordan. That's pretty good company. But Rodney's admiration for D Rose goes way beyond skill. For Rodney, Rose is a true role model because of how he's lived his life, how he's elevated his game in more ways than one. Raised in poverty in Chicago's southside, D Rose dedicated himself and got out. "Everybody plays basketball in Chicago," Rodney says. And everybody looks up to D Rose. "If he did it, I can do it."
So, when tragedy struck in game 1 of the playoffs last season, and D Rose went down with a torn ACL, it wasn't just him who felt the pain. It was everybody in Chicago. But that was last season. This is now. And D Rose is on his way back, armed with the Adidas D Rose 3. "That's what you really need in basketball," Rodney says. "Shoes. Nothing else." And Rodney, for one, thinks there's a lot to love about the new D Rose 3s: their comfort, lightweight support, and not to mention their colors--red and black, a tribute to the Bulls' colors themselves.
Just like D Rose made it out, now he's going to make it back. Rodney, Chicago and the world are watching as one of the greatest comebacks in basketball history unfolds. D Rose is rising. And we're all in.
