Over his playing career, Derrick Rose had to stare down at LeBron James as an opponent. Whether with the Cavaliers or the Miami Heat’s ‘Big 3’, Rose couldn’t figure out how to get past that hurdle. And each of these series was intense and hostile. If you know how personal the NBA can get, players don’t just look past these moments. The resentment stays even years removed from those battles.

But a claim is going viral that Rose showed some disrespect towards James recently. Did he really say “F—k LeBron”? Let’s examine that claim.

What was shared online?

The claim in question emerged from a post made by Brick Center on X. It featured a video of Derrick Rose during what appeared to be a fan meet-up. Adored by the Bulls fanbase, they called Rose the ‘GOAT’. In doing so, the fan behind the camera said, “For one, f—k LeBron, right?”

“Yeah,” Derrick Rose responded. However, Rose was busy attending to fans around him and signing autographs in that short video. Just to make it clear, he didn’t directly say anything negative or degrading about LeBron James. Although the sentiment does run deep in Chicago’s blood, since the Akron Hammer was a constant obstacle in front of Derrick Rose and the Bulls.

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But in this instance, the recently retired NBA star never directed any disrespect towards LeBron James. Hence, the claim made by Brick Center is false. His response, although supportive, could have just been Derrick Rose trying to keep a conversation rather than targeting his former rival.

What has Derrick Rose said about LeBron James?

In a far more aware surrounding, Derrick Rose has reflected on his past matchups with LeBron James. They were fierce rivals, having played against one another 40 times across several seasons. Rose has actually stated James to be his toughest rival, citing his imperious game management skills.

“Bron was the only one that thought like a point guard that wasn’t a point guard, where he wouldn’t score early or sometimes he would start scoring early, and he was smart enough to make the adjustment. I hated that,” Rose said while at the Adidas Eurocamp last year.

If anything, their infectious battles while both players were at their peak have resulted in mutual respect. In December, James saluted Derrick Rose as a “legend”, expanding on the impact he had on Chicago. “We all love Derrick Rose. If you ever played basketball, have ever been part of our league, there is not one bad thing people can say about Derrick Rose,” James said.

It’s clear that although Derrick Rose has a reason to despise LeBron James like his close friend Joakim Noah, he doesn’t harbor any sour feelings towards the four-time MVP.

What to watch out for?

It’s important to understand context in such cases. The Twitter page, Brick Center, openly advertises itself as a page that posts basketball fails. Their intention is to provoke a reaction. In this case, Derrick Rose never directly made any pointed comments about LeBron James. It’s possible that the clip is taken out of context and sold as Rose diminishing his former rival. However, be watchful about such posts. Rose has rarely made controversial comments about players, and in the video appeared to just go along with the creator’s thoughts.

Bottom line

Derrick Rose is a respectful star. It would be an overexaggeration to suggest that the former Bulls star tried to take a dig at LeBron James. Their history, trying to fend off each other at the pinnacle of their career does give him a reason. But that’s not what happened, so don’t read too deeply into it.