Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose offered a quick take Sunday on the New York Knicks‘ firing of Tom Thibodeau, a move which saw the team dismiss Rose’s longtime coach after he led the Knicks to their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter century. Rose played for Thibodeau for much of his career with the Chicago Bulls, then reunited with him as a member of Thibodeau’s Knicks teams towards the end of his career.
Speaking to reporters in Chicago, Rose shared that Thibodeau is in good spirits all things considered. Rose was also optimistic for the future of the Knicks without Thibodeau, pointing to the play and leadership of All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson.
“He’s good. I think you can’t be mad when you’re walking away with $30 million. You can’t be too sorry for him,” Rose said. “But he’s in good spirits. That’s my guy, we’re like that ’till the end. He’s good, Jalen’s still in New York, he’s gonna be ballin’. Everybody wins, I feel like.”
Rose was back in his native Chicago to serve as the grand marshal for Sunday’s NASCAR Chicago Street Race, giving the command to start engines for the Cup Series’ Grant Park 165. Rose was the No. 1 overall pick by the Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft, earning NBA MVP honors in 2011 as well as three All-Star nods and All-NBA First-Team honors. Rose’s No. 1 is set to be retired by the Bulls during the 2025-26 season.
