The Chicago Bulls were the stars of the show even as they lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the teams’ series on Sunday night, but one player from the team’s past certainly got people talking.
That player is former Bulls (and current New York Knicks) point guard Derrick Rose, who sat courtside behind one of the baskets at the United Center for the game. Rose, who was drafted first overall by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft, was traded to the Knicks before this season, and despite that, he felt no weirdness in being back in his old home arena.
“If I was by myself, it might be a little bit weird, but I’m with him” Rose, pointing to his son P.J., told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “He makes it a lot easier. I look at it all that happened in the past. The memories will always be there. My heart is still here when I visit. I just love basketball, so I had to watch.”
At one point in the game, the Bulls showed some of their former players on the video boards in the arena, and Rose’s image elicited raucous cheers from Bulls fans at the United Center.
Rose also took another trip down memory lane on Saturday night, when he watched the Memphis Grizzlies take on the San Antonio Spurs in the town where he played his college basketball.
The point guard will be a free agent when the offseason begins, but his future was the furthest thing from his mind as he sat courtside and watched the Bulls play.
“I just wanted to show him (P.J.) a good time. That was it,” he said. “It seemed like a good series and I just wanted to be around a playoff atmosphere.”
