A Complete History of Derrick Rose’s Signature Shoes and Adidas Contract
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Derrick Rose announced his retirement Thursday, bringing an end to a career with an early high point as the NBA‘s youngest-ever MVP but also a major “What if?” because of his history of injuries.
Rose debuted his first signature sneaker, the Adidas Adizero Rose 1, in 2011, the same year he was named the NBA’s MVP at just 22 years old for a record that still stands today. A year later, him and Adidas locked down a reported 14-year, $185 million extension that’s kept him well-paid to this day despite a significant drop in play following a torn ACL at the start of the 2012 playoffs and a torn meniscus that kept him out for the majority of the 2013-2014 season.
Rose received 17 sneakers in total from Adidas, including four “.5” models bridging his signature models and three takedown shoes made at a lower price point. Samples have also been shown over the years for D Rose Yeezy prototypes, but none have ever released.
Over his 16-year career, which saw him becoming the Chicago Bulls’ biggest star since Michael Jordan after being taken No. 1 overall in the 2008 draft, Rose played for six different NBA teams. He was traded from his hometown Bulls to the New York Knicks in 2016 and later played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.
In 723 career games, Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists. Rose’s MVP year included a career-high 25 points and 1 steal per game to go along with 7.7 assists.
Rose announced his decision to retire on social media and with full-page advertisements in the local newspapers for all six NBA cities he played in. Adidas Basketball also posted a “Thank You” message to Rose on its social media channels.
Below, Footwear News will take you through the details of Rose’s Adidas contract as well as the full history of his sneakers.
Derrick Rose’s Adidas Contract
Rose’s rookie shoe deal with Adidas was rather modest with a value of $1 million per year for four years. As the initial contract neared its expiration, Rose was in a great position of strength in negotiating for an extension. No other brand could pitch him until 2012, but Adidas would hardly want to enter an open competition for a young player who’d already excelled as Rookie of the Year and the reigning MVP.
The long-term extension came in February 2012 to the tune of $185 million over the course of 14 years. Terms of the deal would allow Adidas to cease payments upon Rose’s retirement, which has long led to speculation that that’s why he hadn’t retired earlier (Rose himself has denied that his shoe deal was a determining factor).
A Sports Illustrated story from 2018 brought the most detailed look of Rose’s Adidas contract, as reporter Jon Wertheim obtained the full 40-page document. Among the revelations was that Rose could have seen a reduction in payments for failing to make the All-Star team or missing more than half of a regular season — but these stipulations could also be nullified by Rose making certain promotional appearances.
Adidas also could have attempted to void the deal because of a morals clause after Rose was accused of rape in 2015 but never did. Rose was never criminally charged and was found not liable in a civil suit.
An anonymous sports agent told SI of Adidas continuing to pay Rose: “I’ve never seen anything like this. The shoe companies are rigorous enforcers [of contracts]. There’s a saying: ‘There’s always another player and never enough money.”
By contrast, Rose made the NBA’s minimum salary in the ’17-’18, ’18-’19 and ’23-’24 seasons and has only made more than $10 million per season twice in the final eight years of his career.
The Adidas deal has also been lucrative to Rose’s friends and family, as his older brother was guaranteed between $250,000 and $300,000 a year and best friend/assistant $50,000 to $75,000 — both for “consulting.”
Adidas Adizero Rose 1
Rose’s signature sneaker debut came in 2010 with the introduction of the Adizero Rose 1, which features a visible cut-out on the ankle as part of the GeoFit system with targeted padding for stability and made to work in conjunction with his ankle brace just like future models.
A PureMotion sole takes inspiration from Adidas’ Feet You Wear technology from the ’90s while working in conjunction with a long-used Torsion System. SprintSkin and SprintFrame work together in the upper for a lightweight and stable fit, and Adidas branding is tucked away on the heel with two placements.
A “Restomod” version of the Rose 1 was introduced much later in 2023 and features more modern PureMotion and LightStrike tech.
Adidas Adizero Rose 1.5
Adidas tinkered with Rose’s first signature sneaker before fulling moving onto his second, resulting in the 2011 1.5 model that did away with the ankle window, weighed less and offered better breathability. In a nod to Chicago, the upper’s design is also modeled after the city’s Structural Expressionist movement in architecture.
Like its predecessor, it also got the Restomod treatment in 2023.
Adidas Adizero Rose 2
Later on in 2011 came the Rose 2, which features a thicker EVA foam midsole, SprintWeb and SprintFrame tech making further improvements in stability at a low weight and a Splatter Traction Surface outsole heralded for its court grip. While the Rose 2 did weigh more than the two preceding shoes, it did so for the sake of a massive improvement that, along with Rose’s star power at the time, made the model quite popular.
Adidas Adizero Rose 2.5
The half-steps forward continued in 2012 with the Adizero Rose 2.5, which was also the last of Rose’s original naming convention for Adidas and the first to feature proper logo for him. Changes in weight reversed direction with the lightest Adizero Rose yet, and the adoption of a Crazy Light outsole brought an even better reviewed traction. Viewed from above during wear, Rose’s Englewood neighborhood of Chicago is embroidered with a satellite view.
Adidas D Rose 3
The arrival of the D Rose 3 later in 2012 came in the lead-up to Rose’s highly anticipated return from his ACL injury. It brought the Rose flower logo that would finally become a mainstay for his line, the most streamlined and premium appearance yet and numerous Chicago callouts. On the tech front, SprintFrame, SprintWeb, GeoFit and Crazy Light all made returns with refinements.
Adidas D Rose 3.5
A snugger fit and ergonomic ankle pocket helped make the D Rose 3.5 more supportive, comfortable and responsive, while a new look came from the spiral pattern and a second placement for the Rose logo on this early 2013 release.
Adidas D Rose 4
A dramatic vertical line at the collar splits the Rose 4 into two distinct parts, but Rose hardly wore the 2013 sneaker because of his second dramatic injury coming early in the season. No new tech appears in the model, as the designers once again refined the various components while delivering more visible changes in the appearance.
In 2020, Adidas gave the D Rose the Restomod treatment with a new Bounce midsole.
Adidas D Rose 4.5
Adidas made the split near the heel of the D Rose 4.5 more subtle for the last of Rose’s .5 mid-season sneaker releases, but this model is probably defined by the least sweeping of changes in the series.
Adidas D Rose 5 Boost
2014 saw the D Rose 5 release alongside the Crazy Light Boost as the first basketball sneakers to make use of the then-new cushioning technology at full-length. The composition is a bit more firm than the Boost found on running sneakers, though, and a new EVA fit-cage is paired with SprintWeb on the upper maintaining much of the Rose 4 and 4.5 DNA.
Adidas D Rose 6
When it dropped in 2015, many reviewers called the D Rose 6 the best Adidas Basketball sneaker they’d ever played in. A Primeknit upper was added for select colorways, while Boost midsole came locked in StableFrame. As Rose played in the most games for a season since his first catastrophic injury, a strap system on the collar helped lock in his ankles.
Adidas D Rose 7
High praise continued into 2016 with the D Rose 7, which took inspiration from the Great Chicago Fire as an analogy for Rose’s own recovery from injury. Because of the popularity of the D Rose 6’s Primeknit variants, the material was used for each variant of the 7.
Adidas D Rose 8
The D Rose 8 largely flew under the radar in 2017, as its look brought little flair and its tech brought little new.
Adidas D Rose 9
Boost gave way to bounce in 2018 for the D Rose 9, which also added AdiWear rubber on the outsole. Ribbed striping defines the Primeknit upper, and a nontrivial amount of attention was brought to the fact that the shoe came in a plain Adidas box rather than one made for Rose.
Adidas D Rose 10
With Rose becoming just the eighth NBA player to hit 10 signature sneakers in a single line in 2019 (not counting the .5s), the D Rose 10 celebrated by incorporating elements of his previous models, including shapes and colorways.
Adidas D Rose 11
Released at the end of 2020, the D Rose 11 was the last proper signature shoe for Rose. LightStrike replaced the Bounce midsole, and once again older looks were incorporated for the upper.
Adidas D Rose Son of Chi
Adidas has released tree total D Rose Son of Chi models since 2021, which are more affordable sneakers more akin to what the Nike LeBron Nxxt Gens are compared to the numbered LeBron series.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
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