Known to some in the Englewood, Chicago neighborhood as “Murder Park,” Derrick Rose unveiled renovations to his childhood stomping grounds this week where he perfected his MVP skills in the troubled, underprivileged neighborhood.
“I want to be that hope for kids, no matter what they do,” the MVP said during the re-dedication of the playground where he learned to ball.
Violence surrounding the park in the years following Rose’s transition to the NBA turned the infamous court into a ghost town. After generous donations from Rose’s sponsors, the park is now sporting a new basketball court surface and new hoops.
“I have a lot of memories up here. This is where I used to spend the majority of my time, just hooping, just playing basketball, just enjoying myself,” Rose said at the unveiling, surprising dozens of students from Randolph Elementary, Rose’s Alma mater.
“No matter what they do, they’ve got to take things seriously and dedicate themselves to whatever they want to do when they get older,” he said. “When you look at me, you probably don’t see yourselves making it this far… but I’m here to tell you, you can make it.”
Rose revealed that two of his biggest role models were Michael Jordan and Will Smith growing up to the crowd of young kids.