Derrick Rose is 23-years-old, mature (despite the fact he recently got caught up in an alleged groupie/baby mama scandal), sexy & extremely talented. The Chicago Bulls star has taken on the task of filling Chi-Town's Michael Jordan void...something he says he has no issue with attempting.
Now, Mr. Rose is covering the May 2012 issue of GQ magazine, and revealing all from avoiding LeBron's mistakes to hating his celebrity status....
The Chicago native, who signed a $95 million contract, poses on the GQ men's magazine cover in a sleek sheen suit and tee while holding one of his most prized possessions.
Reigning league MVP Derrick Rose, who has a homes in the Trump building in Chicago as well as in the Northbrook area (closer to the Bulls training facility) and a HUGE $250 mill 14-year Adidas deal, helped the Bulls become one of the best teams in the NBA last season and this season....so it's only right we get to know the man who's causing chicks who allege to be his girlfriend to create scandals to have his baby.
Here's a few highlights from D. Rose's cover story:
On being compared to Michael Jordan: “…His titles drive me. What’s wrong with getting close to the best person that ever played the game? I’m not scared of him; if anything, it makes me work harder when I do train.”
On the attention he receives for his playing: “The more you win, the more they come. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t take anything for granted. But it seems like the better I play, the more attention I get. And I can’t get away from it. You play great, you get attention. But I hate attention. It is weird. I’m in a bind.”
On LeBron’s infamous on-air decision to go to the Heat: “I won’t ever put myself in a bad position so that people can say bad things about me. I make smart decisions... I’m very mature for 23 years old, and I know that whatever I do can hurt someone.”
On the people of Chicago treating him like a star: “Chicago isn’t used to stardom. …They don’t know how to act toward celebrity. So I always have someone with me. I can have a hat on, glasses on, whatever. People still notice me. If I go outside without a hat on, I feel like I’m naked. This life doesn’t fit my personality.”
On feeling like a recluse: “It gets on my nerves that I can’t just go out. It’s just boundaries now, people are like, ‘You can’t go here, you can’t go there, you got to let that person know where you’re going.’ It’s just weird. I’m never alone. Ever.”
On Obama being a fan of his: “I remember when he wasn’t our president, when I was a kid, when he’d just be walking down the street, a state senator. He was just always there. I didn’t appreciate it then. I was in high school and just wanted to see rappers.”
Check out more pics and the full cover story now over at GQ. And pick up the issue on newsstands April 24th.
Photo credit: Nathaniel Goldberg/GQ