Fans reacted unfavorably to Derrick Rose’s comments this week that he doesn’t want to be sore when his life after basketball begins.
Rose then doubled down on those comments Thursday, saying he “could care less” what fans think about what he said.
Now Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are criticizing the Bulls’ point guard.
“That was stupid,” Barkley said Thursday on TNT. “Derrick Rose is a great player, a great kid, I love his mom. That was stupid. I limp around, but I go home to a big old mansion. There are people who work harder than Derrick Rose and go home to a shack. There are consequences to what we do for a living. We got the best life in the world.
“I was a poor black kid who grew up in the projects, I don’t mind limping around. When I go home it’s a big old house. I got good sheets. I don’t know the thread count, but they’re good. I got a big old car. I never have to worry about my bills. There are pros and cons to what we do for a living. Derrick Rose is making $20 million a year. He’s got a couple bad knees. That’s disrespectful to maids, people in the army … and as much as I like Derrick Rose, that was just flat-out stupid.”
Then O’Neal took a turn.
“I agree with Chuck,” he said. “I was taught that if you can walk, you can play. Kevin McHale, you see how he walks? Phil Jackson, see how he walks? You see how Chuck walks? You see how I walk? Well, guess what? It was worth it. When you say comments like that it sort of makes you look soft. … If that’s the way he feels, then that’s the way he feels. But me personally, if I can walk I can play.
Barkley added a little more criticism later.
“I wouldn’t change anything about my life, man,” he said. “I grew up in Leeds, Alabama, in the projects. I bought my mom a house. I bought my grandmother a house. I bought my brothers a house. I wouldn’t change anything about my life.”
Watch their full comments below:
