The Adidas D Rose is considered by many basketball fans to be one of the most popular lines of signature sneakers. The popularity of the D Rose line is particularly attributed to its namesake, Derrick Rose, who has been playing for numerous teams in the National Basketball Association or NBA since 2008. Who is Derrick Rose? And why are his signature shoes so popular? Let us find out as we take a look at the different details of the Adidas D Rose signature sneaker line.
Who is Derrick Rose?
Derrick Rose, also known as D Rose, is a professional basketball player who was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 4, 1988. He played high school basketball for the Simeon Career Academy, and after graduating, he played a year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers, the men’s basketball team of the University of Memphis in the NCAA.
In the 2008 NBA Draft, Derrick Rose was drafted first overall by the Chicago Bulls, his hometown team. After averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game, D Rose won the 2009 Rookie of the Year Award. In 2011, at the age of 22, Derrick Rose became the youngest player to win the prestigious NBA Most Valuable Player Award.
Derrick Rose, as a basketball player, is particularly known for his quick movements and explosive dunks. However, because of how quick and strong he moves on the basketball court, he is often prone to injuries. During his MVP season from 2010 to 2011, he was already struggling with knee injuries, and those injuries worsened during the 2012 NBA Playoffs when he tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) on his left knee. Rose eventually returned in the 2013-14 season, but during a game in November 2013, he injured his right meniscus. He returned once again the following season, but he would continue to be hampered with different knee and foot-related injuries from the 2014-15 season onwards.
Rose played for the Chicago Bulls from 2008 to 2016 before being traded to the New York Knicks. He would play for the Knicks during the 2016-17 season before moving to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After his stint in Cleveland, Rose would play with the Minnesota Timberwolves and then with the Detroit Pistons before moving back to the New York Knicks in the 2020-21 season.
The Adidas D Rose Signature Shoes
The collaboration between Derrick Rose and Adidas to create a signature basketball shoe started in 2008, right after he was picked number 1 in the 2008 NBA Draft. Adidas offered Rose a four-year deal that was worth about $1.5 million a year, although the first shoe in the D Rose line was only released in 2010.
After the initial contract expired, Adidas then offered another contract, but this time it was a 14-year deal that is estimated to be worth from $185 million to $250 million. 1. The 14-year contract was offered to Rose due to the success of the first two D Rose shoes, namely the AdiZero Rose 1 and the AdiZero Rose 2. To know more about the first two shoes and their successors, here are pieces of info about the Adidas D Rose signature line of basketball shoes.
AdiZero Rose 1
The Adidas D Rose signature line of basketball shoes was introduced in October 2010 with the release of the AdiZero Rose 1. The upper of this signature shoe is primarily made of leather, but the features that are more noticeable on the shoe are its open ankle support and its lightweight properties that make you feel like you aren’t wearing shoes while on the court.
In February 2011, the Rose 1 was revamped and rereleased as the Adizero Rose 1.5, which features more ankle support and a redesigned upper that has more mesh panels for better breathability. In 2022, the AdiZero Rose 1.5 was given the “restomod” treatment and was rereleased with better a better cushioning system called “Lightstrike” on the midsole.
AdiZero D Rose 2
The official follow-up to the Rose 1, the AdiZero Rose 2, was released in October 2011. The design of the Rose 2 is not much different than the Rose 1.5, as it has breathable mesh at the middle of the upper, while the toebox is reinforced with durable leather, and the heel has TPU and patent leather for rigidity and support. The AdiZero Rose 2.5 was then released in February 2012, and it has extra padding on the ankles for better ankle support.
Adidas D Rose 3
The D Rose 3 is the first signature sneaker for Derrick Rose that dropped the AdiZero name. This basketball shoe was released in October 2012 and featured more breathable panels, as well as the extra padding on the ankles that was previously seen on the AdiZero Rose 2.5. However, the most noticeable parts of the D Rose 3 were its speckled midsole and its neatly placed three stripes logo, which runs from the back of the heel to the outsole. The D Rose 3.5 was then released in January 2013, and this shoe has more aggressive patterns on its breathable panels, and it also has thicker padding on the ankles.
Adidas D Rose 4
The Adidas D Rose 4 was released in October 2013 and featured the Crazyquick outsole that provides optimal flexibility and traction to the wearers of the basketball shoe. What’s different about the D Rose 4 compared to the previous shoes from the signature line is that the upper is primarily made from softer and lighter materials compared to leather, so the flexibility of the upper is improved. The D Rose 4.5 was then released in January 2014, and this shoe features a shorter ankle section for better flexibility, as well as reinforced areas on the upper for better support on foot.
Adidas D Rose 5 Boost
The Adidas D Rose 5, released in October 2014, was the first in the D Rose signature line to feature Adidas’s very popular Boost technology. Adidas Boost is a midsole technology where bubbles or pellets of thermoplastic urethane (TPU) are compressed and formed into the shape of the shoe’s midsole. The Boost midsole is particularly known for its bouncy feel, although for basketball shoes, this midsole is usually caged inside a more rigid plastic so that the bounciness would be reduced and the wearers would be able to move quicker on the court.
Adidas D Rose 6 Boost
The Adidas D Rose 6 Boost was released in 2015 and featured independent Boost sections on the midsole for flexibility and better impact protection. The upper of the D Rose 6 Boost is made primarily from textile, and its heel has an elastic band or garter that is supposed to provide support and protection for the heels and ankles. The heel cage system is called “FITFRAME,” and this system also provides an adaptive fit so that no matter how thin or wide your ankles or heels are, you will still be able to get support and protection from the shoe.
Adidas D Rose 7
The 7th main signature shoe for Derrick Rose was released on August 11, 2016. This basketball shoe has a very aggressive wave outsole that has great traction for both indoor and outdoor basketball courts. In addition, this also features more Boost compared to the D Rose 6, so the comfort level is higher. In terms of the upper, the D Rose 7 features an engineered mesh upper with separate plastic sections on the midfoot and heel section for added rigidity and support.
Adidas D Rose 8
The Adidas D Rose 8, released in October 2017, has a very different design from the D Rose 7, as there were no more plastic sections on the upper. Instead, the D Rose 8 features a one-piece engineered mesh upper that is reinforced in different areas using a thin layer of plastic. However, the D Rose 8 still features the Boost midsole, as well as the aggressive wave outsole. Because it has fewer panels and parts, the D Rose 8 is considered as one of the lightest basketball shoes in the D Rose signature line.
Adidas D Rose 9
The Adidas D Rose 9, which was released on July 15, 2018, was the first D Rose basketball since the Adidas D Rose 5 Boost that doesn’t feature the Boost midsole. Instead, the D Rose 9 features the Bounce midsole, which is the midsole technology that was primarily used in the more affordable basketball shoes from Adidas. However, despite being more affordable, the Bounce midsole is just as responsive and comfortable as the Boost midsole. The outsole of the D Rose 9 is also different, as it features multi-directional lines instead of the wavy patterns seen in previous D Rose shoes.
Adidas D Rose 10
Released in September 2019, the D Rose 10 is the first basketball shoe in the D Rose line to have a much lower collar compared to most D Rose models. In addition, it was also the first D Rose shoe in a while to feature a full-grain leather upper, which was supposed to be a throwback to the older D Rose models that featured layers and sections made of leather. But, much like the D Rose 9, the D Rose 10 features a Bounce midsole that is a little bit thinner compared to the midsole of the D Rose 9 for better court feel and responsiveness.
Adidas D Rose 11
The Adidas D Rose 11, released on December 5, 2020, is different from the Rose 10 in terms of the materials used for both the upper and midsole. Instead of having a full-grain leather upper, the Adidas Rose 11 has a textile upper that is softer and more flexible than leather. In addition, there is also an added TPU section on the midsole and heel section of the upper to provide support on the very soft textile areas. Then, on the midsole, the D Rose 11 features the Lightstrike technology, a lightweight midsole that was developed in 2019 and primarily used on Adidas’s basketball and running shoes.
Adidas D Rose Son of Chi
The Adidas D Rose Son of Chi, although not really an official signature model for Derrick Rose, is still considered by fans of the line to be the 12th signature sneaker for the popular basketball player since it was the only D Rose shoe released in 2021 and 2022. The Son of Chi, which is a shortened phrase of “Son of Chicago,” is supposed to be the budget model of the Adidas D Rose line, as it features more affordable upper and midsole materials. The Adidas D Rose Son of Chi has an engineered mesh upper with synthetic leather sections for rigidity and durability, while the midsole of the shoe is the affordable Bounce material instead of the Lightstrike materials used on the D Rose 11.
And these are all the details you need to know about Derrick Rose and his Adidas D Rose line of signature basketball shoes. Adidas has been rereleasing a few models of the signature line with better cushioning and upper materials, so if you want to try out specific D Rose shoes, you can check if a “restomod” version is available for them online.