What I learned from Derrick Rose

By Jody McPhearson

An Inspirational Speaker at The Re-De-Fined Project

 

                             



For those of you who have no idea who Derrick Rose is, he is best known by his job. He is the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls. In fact he is a bona fide NBA superstar. But that is not who he is.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou “The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

Well, Derrick Rose has shown himself to be a pretty quiet and private individual. He does not really enjoy the spotlight.

Here is a lesson learned from my mother. Adversity will reveal who a person truly is.

This past year, Derrick Rose has had to undergo a great deal of adversity during the season with nagging injuries to himself and teammates.  But that was just the beginning of his adversity. He had a season ending and career threatening injury. All in the public spotlight!

Now that brings us to the point of it all. Derrick Rose has taught and is teaching me many things while I am watching and reading about him.

During his first meeting with Adidas, his shoe sponsor, the executives from Adidas asked him what he wanted to accomplish his rookie year. Do you know what he said? He said, "I Wanna make My Mom Happy and My City Proud."  What if more professional athletes lived with this focus? What if celebrities had this in mind as they made choices? What if this was the mantra of more teens?

Maybe we can't do anything about professional athletes or celebrities, but we sure can do something about teens!

I learned from just that quote that Derrick Rose loves his mother, and his City! Chicago is a city that saw a record numbers of murders this past summer. It is also a city that had an ugly teacher's strike this summer. He loves a flawed city!
 

So, there is another lesson learned from Derrick Rose. It is okay to love someplace and someone that is not perfect. That kind of love will motivate you to help it or them get better.

Let me share with you what sparked this post. I read an ESPN article about Derrick Rose that poised this question. What can one man do about deep-seated social ills like poverty and violence? Read it here

 

If I have learned anything from Derrick Rose this summer, it is this. One man/woman/teen can do a lot! Especially if that person is willing to share their story of overcoming and persevering. I have learned that Derrick Rose has become a symbol of hope for his mother, his family, his friends, thousands of teens, and his entire community.

This summer, four groups of rival gangs, church leaders and a few NBA players got together for a game of basketball in an attempt to find a solution to the violence in the city. Derrick Rose came together with St. Sabina’s Father Michael Pfleger for the “Balling for Peace” tournament. After the tournament, every player got a job. St. Sabina partnered with businesses in the community to make sure that players were rewarded with employment for their peace pledge. Gang members traded their guns for basketballs. Some gang members were quoted as saying, “Opportunity and seeing that someone cares” are what’s needed to make a change.

I have learned that Derrick Rose is not afraid to show just how much he cares.

When presented with his new Adidas basketball shoe and the chance to talk about how special he legitimately is, Derrick Rose chose to show real human emotion and thank God and his family and the people who believe in him for their support and inspiration.
 

I have learned that Derrick Rose has an astounding work ethic, that he is humble beyond belief,(especially for a generation that most label as selfish and self-centered), and that he is fully aware that there is more to it all than just worrying about Derrick.

I know that I am usually speaking about teens, and the example that I am using is NBA superstar, Derrick Rose, but let's not forget, Derrick is only 24! He was, not so longer ago, just a teen from the very city that he now inspires. All because there were those adults, friends, and siblings who were invested in his life, that gave him hope.

Derrick thanks for the lessons! May we each take it upon ourselves to be the hope for our mothers, family, friends, teens, and our community!