Derrick Rose reveals how he would play Michael Jordan in 1-on-1: “He for sure would be beat up after the game” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
After a massive influx of talent in the NBA after Michael Jordan retired, many fantasized about hypothetical 1-on-1 matchups with the six-time champion. Ahead of his return from a terrifying ACL injury, Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose was once asked to picture how he would’ve played Jordan in a 1-on-1 game.
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Known for his humble demeanor, Rose didn’t assume that he could take MJ out. If anything, D-Rose even implied that it’s as if he already knew Jordan would beat him.
However, Rose pointed out that one thing Jordan couldn’t destroy was his competitiveness. Rose simplified it: MJ could win, but he would have to earn every bucket.
“I’m a guy where if he was about to win the game, he for sure would be beat up after the game,” Rose told ESPN of how a 1-on-1 game versus Jordan would possibly play out. “It was going to be a hard-played game even if he was going to post me up the whole time or whatever. I was going to foul him the whole game.”
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D-Rose is in the same category as Jordan in Chicago
Although a one-on-one game between Rose and Jordan may never happen, those who witnessed their greatness could assume that it would definitely be a highly competitive match. In reality, most NBA fans, especially the Chicago Bulls faithful, don’t view Rose and Jordan as an intriguing matchup. Instead, they put the pair of Bulls legends in the same category and see them as both iconic figures in Chicago.
In fact, Kevin Garnett once stated that D-Rose means so much to Chicago natives that he deserves to have his own statue in the city just like MJ. For three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, a statue would greatly honor Rose’s legacy and contributions to Chicago.
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“I’m buying it,” Lou once said of the idea of having a D-Rose statue in Chicago like Jordan.
“And I say that because Chicago statues are Chicago statues,” he further emphasized. “And when you talk about Derrick Rose, since Michael Jordan, not one has electrified and united the city of Chicago the way that Derrick Rose did and had the impact that he’s had.”
Jordan admired D-Rose
Many Bulls fans felt that D-Rose was the greatest thing that happened to the franchise since Jordan. For them, it wasn’t a forced narrative but a phenomenon that even MJ himself acknowledged. Jordan once openly talked about how much he admired Rose as a player and a fellow Bull. In fact, MJ also backed D-Rose to win the MVP award in 2011, notably stating, “He deserves it [the MVP award]. He’s playing that well. He deserves it. Without a doubt.”
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Rose may not have gone down in NBA history with a GOAT status like Jordan. However, it was interesting to hear how the fierce competitor in D-Rose would refuse to let the great MJ just dominate him on the court if they ever played 1-on-1.
Fans may never get the chance to hear what Jordan had to say about taking on D-Rose. But knowing how competitive MJ is to this day, there’s a great chance that he would be quick to conclude that he’d torch Rose.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.