Derrick Rose last took the floor for the New York Knicks on Feb. 28 and, since that time, the former NBA MVP has been listed as out as a result of the NBA’s health and safety protocols. On Monday, however, Rose revealed that he was dealing with COVID-19 and it was a difficult battle for the 32-year-old.
“Oh man, I was away because I actually had it. I felt all of the symptoms, sick and everything. But I’m happy to be back and that’s in the past,” Rose said Monday, via Peter Botte of the New York Post. “It was completely different. They say everybody is different, but with me, I never felt anything like that before.
“I’ve had the flu. It was nothing like the flu. My sense, the flu, your stomach, or like you’re drained and everything. It was that times 10. So like I said, slowly getting back, I’m progressing every day and just trying to get back in the swing of things.”
Rose also indicated that he was not alone in testing positive and dealing with the effects, saying “my girl, my kids, her mom, all of us had it.” While he certainly is not unique in having troubling symptoms, Rose commendably made sure to mention that, while some may dismiss the virus, it is nothing to downplay.
“Yeah, it just sucks, where you feel everything, your body is sore, headaches, all that,” Rose added. “The kids weren’t too bad, they had fevers and runny noses, but that was pretty much it, and a bad cough. But it’s real. COVID thing, I know a lot of people overlook it, but it’s very serious. It’s real.”
Since joining the Knicks via a midseason trade, Rose has appeared in 10 games, averaging 12.5 points and 4.9 assists per contest. He could return to the floor as soon as Tuesday when New York hosts the Washington Wizards, though both Rose and Tom Thibodeau did not commit to that reality, citing potential conditioning concerns.