For my money this kid is currently the most humble big time NBA player and his humility is genuine (if you watch his other interviews his mannerisms are consistently the same). by Nada Taha Moslehy It was 8:30 a.m. on a hot, summer Wednesday in Orlando. Most 21 year olds are sitting in a desk at the start of their summer college classes or trying to make a quick buck in between semesters. This 21-year-old, however, was getting primped and primed. He had cameras in his space and lights shining in his eyes. He was being handed an icy Powerade bottle by someone with gloves on, and each time he took a sip, the bottle was refilled. There were dozens of people in the Milk House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – all there to capture Derrick Rose’s basketball skills like passing, dribbling and dunking. But the Chicago Bulls’ starting point guard and most important player was still a kid at heart. In between shots of his Powerade commercial, he threw the ball at his childhood friend and challenged him to a game of H.O.R.S.E. Usually one to keep to himself, he told me how he had never been to a beach in Florida and warned me of the cold winters in Chicago. Derrick, who had joined forces with Powerade two months prior, was the center of attention. But to him, it was an honor. He was humbled by the opportunity. “I’m only 21,” he said. It’s not something he imagined while growing up in Englewood on the southwest side of Chicago. But could he even have imagined where his short 21 years of life would have taken him? High school state championships, the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and the inclusion in to the elite group of best point guards in the NBA. The commercial was supposed to showcase the intensity and effort athletes put in to their training and on the court – something Derrick never leaves behind, even in the off-season. The rest is here: http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/06/derrick-rose-powerade-shoot/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RzxREQy4hg&feature=player_embedded
