Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Rose Reveals Why He Left His Team In The Middle Of The 2016-17 Season

In January of 2017, while playing for the New York Knicks, Derrick Rose caused turmoil amongst his team when he failed to show up to the Knicks’ 110-96 loss to the Pelicans.

Back then, Rose did not reach out to team officials during the time of his absence and had teammates and fans worried about where he may be. The reason? A respectable one, having Rose return to his hometown of Chicago to be with his mother.

But because he did not tell anybody where he went, New York fined Rose $200,000. Rose then explained himself to the team admitting he was an emotional wreck and needed “space.”

Now, two-and-a-half years later, Rose opened up about what happened back then and explained his actions in a piece Rose coauthored himself, together with Sam Smith, according to an excerpt published by The New York Post.

When I left the Knicks that day in January 2017, that’s what it was about. I just needed to go home.

I went to the crib with my mom. Everybody came over to the house to talk. That’s the first time, one of the few times, where we sat down as a whole family and had a serious discussion like that.

I had decided I was done playing. I saw the same thing that was happening with the Bulls was going on with New York. I could tell that the season wasn’t going to be the season everyone thought, that I thought. I didn’t know if I wanted to hoop anymore. Especially when it started to feel like a business. Of course, you know it’s a business. They always say that. But you know it’s also hoopin’. But it had started to feel like all business, no joy. That’s when I wanted out. I wasn’t having fun.