Derrick Rose has worn either uniform No. 1 or No. 25 throughout his 13-year NBA career, but the former MVP has switched to a new identifier in his second go-around with the Knicks.
With rookie Obi Toppin and Reggie Bullock, respectively, wearing Rose’s previous numbers this season, the three-time All-Star explained his reasoning for donning No. 4 for the first time in his career following his acquisition Sunday from Detroit.
“Four, my birthday is on the fourth [of October]. Me and my closest guys, my friends, there’s four of us. My mom had four kids, my daughter’s birthday is on the fourth,” Rose said this week. “If you look in the Bible, on the fourth day, I don’t want to get into all of that, but if you look at the fourth day, it was all about creation.
“And it’s the emperor [tarot] card if you look at it. I don’t want to get deep into it, but it just called my name and that’s why I just rolled with it.”
Rose inherited the number from Dennis Smith Jr., who was dealt to the Pistons with a 2021 second-round draft pick in the trade.
Derrick Rose NBAE via Getty ImagesThe Wizards announced that NBA scoring leader Bradley Beal will not play Friday night against the Knicks in order to rest. The Post reported Wednesday that the Knicks are monitoring the situations of Beal and Rockets guard Victor Oladipo in case their teams make them available via trade.
Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina will be unavailable for a second straight game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Julius Randle ranks eighth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players in the latest round of fan voting for the All-Star Game, which is being planned for March 7 in Atlanta.
The Nets’ Kevin Durant, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 76ers’ Joel Embiid are comfortably ahead in the voting for the three starting spots, but Randle, who is averaging 22.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, could be tapped for his first career All-Star appearance.
Rose also ranks eighth among Eastern guards, just ahead of the Wizards’ Russell Westbrook and the Raptors’ Fred VanVleet.
The Knicks’ next six games, including Friday at Washington and Saturday against the Rockets, come against teams with a combined winning percentage of .393 (57-88) through Thursday. In that stretch, only the Spurs have a winning record.
