Derrick Rose shows love to Cleveland Cavaliers in heartfelt retirement message

The youngest MVP in NBA history, Derrick Rose, announced his retirement after 16 seasons.

Drafted first overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2008, Rose played for six NBA franchises over 723 games. The three-time All-Star guard stunned crowds early in his career before a disastrous injury sidelined a career believed to be on the path to generational impact. Rose may be one of the biggest "what ifs" in NBA history, as his potential could have shaped a new era of Bulls dominance across the Association.

In his MVP season, Rose averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists at just 22 years old. Rose led the Bulls to five playoff appearances, but his eventual injury luck led him to become a journey man instead of an established franchise star.

One of those teams to employ Rose was the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 season. With 16 games played, the Cavs were Rose's shortest tenure of his career, eventually traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves at a historic trade deadline for Cleveland. Rose's time with the Cavs endured plenty of change and unexpected faces, including Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade sporting the number nine for half a season.

While Rose's time with the Cavaliers could be considered forgettable, many fans have always celebrated the opportunity to cheer for Rose as a Cav, regardless of how peculiar LeBron James' final season with Cleveland was. Surprisingly, Rose did not exclude the Cavaliers from his heartfelt parting message.

D. Rose remembers Cleveland in his retirement

The Cleveland Cavaliers wished Rose a happy retirement on social media, but Rose returned the favor and more. As part of his retirement announcement, D. Rose purchased a full-page ad in every city that he played for, including an advertisement in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Calling basketball his first love, Rose gave a passionate message and goodbye from the sport in order to focus on his family. The news came shortly after a report stated that the Memphis Grizzlies waived the veteran guard in a surprise offseason move. Rose's message only directly mentioned Chicago, the city that started his career and gave him the most love, but his choice to send the message to every city that supported him along the way speaks volume to his professionalism and character.

For most players, 16 games with a team is worth little more than a shrug. For Rose, every city that believed in him mattered. At first, the entire league believed Rose could spend his entire career with the Bulls. Unfortunately, an emotionally brutal phone call informed D. Rose he would join the New York Knicks, starting his journey around the NBA.

Regardless of how his career changed after his injury, Rose's legacy in Chicago will never be forgotten. Rose wasted no time making history for his hometown franchise. The entire Bulls organization and NBA witnessed a magnificent yet short-lived prime.

Derrick Rose will not be forgotten as an NBA trailblazer. His efforts paved the way for numerous athletic, high-flying guards that came after him to thrive in the league. Rose's legacy gave rise to many more legacies in the modern league. While short, it is a great memory for the Cleveland Cavaliers to say they had a part in Rose's basketball career.