Derrick Rose retires from basketball as biggest 'what if' stories in NBA history

Former NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, has officially retired from the NBA as he's remembered as one of the bigger 'what if' stories in league history.

Derrick Rose, one of the NBA's biggest "what if" stories in history, has officially retired from the league. After 16 seasons in the NBA, Rose retired from the league on his own terms and will now shift toward the next phase of his post-basketball life.

Even though Rose didn't exactly reach his ceiling as a player because of injuries, he's likely going to be a Hall of Fame inductee and certainly left his imprint on the league.

Derrick Rose's lasting impact in the NBA

Before point guards became all the craze in the NBA, it was Derrick Rose that was a part of an NBA Draft class that would go a long way in changing the dynamic of the position. Sitting atop that league-altering 2008 NBA Draft class, Derrick Rose was the No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bulls.

Rose was new. He was fresh. And, perhaps most importantly, he was doing things that had not been seen from the point guard position in a very long time, if at all. Rose was dynamic, he was fast, he was strong. Since the moment he stepped onto an NBA court, Rose was one of the most athletic players in the league.

But what differentiated Rose from just another talented player was his ability to lift a team almost single-handedly. It's not just that Rose was a talented young player, but he was also a winning player.

Rose helped lead the Bulls to the playoffs during his rookie season and didn't let up. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009, made his first All-Star team in 2010, and won the NBA MVP award in 2011. Rose helped lead the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals during his MVP year as well and probably have made the NBA Finals if it wasn't for the Big 3 Miami Heat.

But it was after that 2011 season in which Rose suffered the unfortunate knee injury. He was never the same player again. He was still an effective player but he never managed to get back to his All-Star level again. Rose would play a few more seasons with the Bulls before bouncing around the league for the remainder of his career.

Who knows what Rose's career looks like if a knee injury (and lingering issues) never popped up? But even as one of the greater "what if" stories in league history, there's no question that Rose is leaving a lasting impact on the NBA.