"I wish I would've met my dad": Derrick Rose gets emotional as he makes feelings clear on going 'all in' for his children

Former NBA star Derrick Rose threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday ahead of the Chicago White Sox's opening game against the LA Angels. Rose was accompanied by his five-year-old son, London, for the pitch. His wife, Alaina Anderson, and seven-year-old daughter, Layla, were also at the event.

London also accompanied Rose during the press conference, with the Chicago Bulls legend answering questions with his son up in his arms. Rose shared a photo on Instagram on Friday of him with his smiling son during the press conference. Citing the absence of his father from his life, Rose captioned the story:

"That smile means the WORLD to me. Me not having my dad around makes me go ALL in with my kids. I wish I would've met my dad. We would've laughed about how I crush everything he did as a MAN lol," Rose captioned his IG story.

Image: @drose IG

Derrick Rose has never met his father, however, he takes his role as a father very seriously. In a recent podcast, Rose reflected on how he took his father's absence as motivation to achieve his goals.

"My dad wasn't around at all," Rose said. "I took it as motivation where it's like I'mma smash everything that he even wanted to dream about."

"This is when I thought that he was living, because the older I got, I realized he passed. But at the time, I'm like man if he's somewhere, I'mma smash everything...I'mma smash that by hard work, by going to the gym...I dedicated my whole life to this sport at one point, and that's why I achieved what I achieved."

D-Rose grew up without a father in one of the roughest neighborhoods of Chicago. The hardships he faced made him want to provide his children with the best support.

Since retiring from the NBA ahead of the 2024-25 season, the youngest MVP has shifted his focus to his family.

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Derrick Rose shared an emotional moment with his son during his honoring ceremony

During "Derrick Rose Night" at United Center in January, Rose shared an emotional moment with his son, PJ Rose. While addressing the fans, Rose shared how his children challenged him to be great, which made PJ, who was watching from the sidelines, visibly emotional.

"That's a joke that we have in the house. If they see me lacking on something, they say, 'Dad, you wanna be good or great?" Rose said.

"And that make me remember, I'm trying to be great,' he said as he turned toward PJ. 'You hear me? Great."

PJ Rose (12) is Derrick Rose's first son, whom he welcomed with his ex-girlfriend Mieka Reese. Similar to his father, PJ is also focused on making a career in basketball and is often seen practicing with his dad.