01-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Former NBA star Derrick Rose to play for Yao Foundation in China charity match
Former NBA star Derrick Rose said he would play for the Yao Foundation in a charity game in mainland China this August while on a trip to Hong Kong on Wednesday.
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Rose was in the city for a basketball clinic session with GOAT Lab – an elite basketball training centre for all age ranges – in Tsim Sha Tsui, after visiting Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai, where he met former Houston Rocket centre Yao Ming.
'He's trying to get me to play [at the charity game],' Rose said. 'It's not confirmed yet but [I will play] if he wants – it's whatever Yao wants.
Rose, a chess fanatic, added: 'He's also helping me [link up with people] to do a tournament in Shenzhen, so we're going to have a chess tournament coming very soon.'
This year's Yao Foundation charity match is expected to be held in Hangzhou, following the previous one held in Hong Kong last August.
Derrick Rose said younger players had to be have confidence to succeed in the sport. Photo: Elson Li
Selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls – his hometown team – in the 2008 NBA Draft, Rose spent his first seven league seasons with the Bulls, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2009 before being named an All-Star the next three seasons.
