Ahead of WNBA All-Star Weekend in his hometown of Chicago, former NBA MVP Derrick Rose took center stage at Navy Pier for a special NBA 2K27 fan activation. Celebrating his official announcement as the NBA 2K27 Ultra Edition cover athlete, Rose teamed up with 2K and Rose’s Flower Shop to host the 2K Flower Mart. There, the Chicago legend hand-prepared floral bouquets for the league’s top talent—quite literally giving the WNBA’s biggest stars their flowers—while helping local fans write personalized notes of encouragement to their favorite players.
The milestone marks Rose’s return to the video game’s cover after previously starring on NBA 2K13. Joining an elite group of multi-time cover athletes alongside icons like Allen Iverson, Rose shared his thoughts on his gaming legacy, passing the torch to the next generation, and what it means to reflect on his journey.
The SOURCE: You did the cover for 2K13. Now you’re back on the 2K25 cover. You’re a legend, you’re at the end of your career. What does it mean to look back at your younger self, everything that was put into the game, and see where you are getting this honor at this stage?
Derrick Rose: I look at it as a blessing. I still play the game with my son, so it’s not like I’m doing this for publicity. I still play it. It’s an honor to even be a part of the game. When you look at the youth, this is what kept me in the youth’s mind—video games and everything. I never thought that, but when you look at all the old classic teams and Hall of Fame teams… I’m a point guard, so the kids know me. If you want to play with MJ, you gotta play with me. Stuff like that. It’s humbling and it’s motivating. It’s basically just for the youth.
Speaking of that youth movement, you’re on there with Caitlin Clark and Victor Wembanyama. It shows that connection of eras. What does it mean for you to be immortalized alongside these next icons, and what does that remind you of from your early days?
It’s kind of like a family crest in this domain, where everything we’ve been doing is trying to exist on different platforms. When this opportunity came up, it was a no-brainer. I was like, yeah, I’m in. I’ve been blessed enough to grace the cover two times. It’s probably only been a few people.
A handful, like A.I. [Alen Iverson] and you.
Man, so I gotta appreciate that.
We’re out here for WNBA All-Star Weekend. When you watch the game today, who do you see on the court in the WNBA that reminds you of you?
Derrick Rose: I’m gonna say Jewell Loyd. Just off the strength of… I love the way that she’s a pure point guard. I feel like coming into the league, I was kind of a pure point guard, and the league forced me to become a scorer. But just the way that she plays, she’s always in attack mode whether she’s looking to score or pass the ball. That’s very hard for defenders to decipher. I love her game.
You have one of the more followed and distinct stories in NBA history. How does it feel for those chapters to be reflected in a video game that you, your son, and the people that love you can play?
That’s one of the reasons why I did it, because PJ plays. He didn’t understand when I was explaining the game cover to him. He was like, “Nah, no way,” until he saw the promotional side of it and realized it was real. Even for this right here, he’s at a Jordan camp right now. He wanted to leave the Jordan camp to be here because he wanted to get the game early and run it. I had to tell him, “Hey bro, stick to your routine so this stuff will always be here.”
You mentioned it for your son. What do you want other people to get from your journey when they see your face on that loading screen?
That I was a winner, bro. That’s it. By any means, I cared about the team. I had to kill my ego numerous times, and I won.
