ESPN Magazine: Rose Blooms in Chicago

"Ladies and Gentlemen, from Chicago … "

The Bulls used to have a thing against drafting hometown kids. There are enough distractions for a rookie without the added pressure of regularly playing in front of friends and family. But Rose is the prodigal son of Englewood, the baby-faced point guard whose public school career garnered as much attention as the post-Jordan Bulls. And thanks to a remarkable twist of fate—a 1.7 percent chance that Chicago could get the top pick in the draft—he's been delivered back to his city.

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But Rose isn't about to hand anyone a reason to doubt him, or doubt Englewood, which he has tattooed on his left forearm. At Simeon High School, he won all but 12 of his 132 games. Then he went to Memphis and helped the Tigers to a 38-2 season. (He still winces at the mention of helping Kansas win the NCAA title when he missed one of two free throws with 10.8 seconds left in OT.) When he was drafted by the Bulls, Memphis coach John Calipari warned his rookie counterpart, Vinny del Negro: "Tell that kid he's not going to win 82 games. Because he doesn't know that. He's never had a losing streak."