Former US basketball player Derrick Rose is on his first visit to Hong Kong in 12 years, drawing swarms of fans in Central as he appeared in a jewelry shop on Tuesday.
Rose, who retired from the NBA last year, was seen giving an interview to a foreign journalist and doing a photoshoot in the Chow Tai Fook Central concept store.
Derrick Rose in Central (Photo: Sing Tao Daily)
Scores of young people surrounded the store and took pictures of the athlete, with some explaining to passers-by that they were here for their “idol.”
Rose is scheduled to attend a meet-and-greet on May 1 at the Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai at 7pm to 9pm.
He will share “basketball stories and personal experiences,” and that fans might get the chance to compete with him on the court, according to the organizer.
The number one overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, Rose spent the first half of his career in the league with his hometown club, the Chicago Bulls.
The point guard won the Rookie of the Year for the 2008-2009 season and was an All-Star the next three seasons.
Nicknamed “D Rose,” or sometimes “the Windy City Assassin,” he became the youngest NBA star to win the Most Valuable Player award at the age of 22 in 2011.
His eight-year run with the Bulls ended when he was traded to the New York Knicks during the 2016 off-season.
Before his retirement last September, he played for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Often hampered by knee injuries, he finished his professional career with an average of 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 games played.
Rose is among the latest overseas celebrities to visit Hong Kong following American online streamer IShowSpeed.
(Jamie Liu)
