Derrick Rose hosted a workshop at the Adidas career center in his hometown Chicago, Illinois.
What We Know:
- After three decades, NBA All-Star weekend is back in Chicago. Rose believes that NBA All-Star weekend could potentially impact his hometown.
- Many children gathered to design a custom pair of D. Rose 11 shoes led by the Adidas Legacy’s program. The focal point of the Adidas Legacy’s program is to empower disadvantaged youth through basketball-centered projects.
- This program began in Los Angeles and New York, and further expanded to Chicago following NBA All-Star weekend. This program now caters to eight public schools within the city, and 240 students overall.
- Professional basketball players, Patrick Beverley and Candace Parker, are among those who participated in this Chicago launch.
- The students were split into sections to teach them about several different careers, with a leading participant in that field coordinating it.
- Parker hosted a broadcasting segment during this event. She reminisced on attending Pro-Am events in the summer of her childhood. She shared how she tried to catch a glimpse of Michael Jordan that day.
- Rose is passionate about inspiring children from his hometown that are undergoing the same circumstances he faced growing up. “Me being around, you never know what may spark something in them,” Rose said be in statement according to the Chicago Tribune.
- “Everybody’s just looking for a glimpse,” Rose said. “I never got that glimpse of seeing or being at an NBA player’s camp when I was younger. For me to be around, who knows. But I know I can feel when it’s real love and the energy has been great.”
Rose wants to continue to serve as a source of inspiration for children.