Retirement seems to be treating two of the very best level guards of the late 2000s and early 2010s, with former MVP Derrick Rose and two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo having fun with their lives exterior the hardwood. Actually, the 2 flooring generals look like branching out into new pursuits — with the 2 dipping their toes within the sport of chess whereas in Las Vegas amid the 2025 NBA Summer season League in Sin Metropolis.
Two of the best chess grandmasters of all-time, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, hosted a chess competitors named “Chesstival” — with Rose and Rondo being two of the highest-profile members within the mentioned occasion. The format used for the competitors is “freestyle chess”, the place the again rank items are randomly organized. There are two guidelines that have to be adopted, nevertheless. The king should begin in between the 2 rooks, whereas the 2 bishops should begin on opposite-colored squares. Apart from that, the positioning of the items is randomized.
Former NBA stars Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo are competing within the “Chesstival” event in Las Vegas with grandmasters Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura @chesscom pic.twitter.com/742E7oLtYb
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 13, 2025
There may be not a lot shock that Rondo, who’s most well-known for his stints with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, was a participant on this occasion. Rondo admitted on an episode of Jeff Teague’s Membership 520 Podcast that he used to play chess previous to ballgames afterward in his profession.
Rondo can also be one of many smartest NBA gamers of all-time, calling out performs earlier than they occur and manipulating defenses to create openings even his teammates typically aren’t conscious of.
In the meantime, Rose lowkey has been enjoying chess for a very long time, though he is solely been extra vocal about this curiosity of his since he determined to retire in 2024. The previous MVP with the Chicago Bulls has lengthy been planning to affix and even host a chess event, and now, he has gotten his want.
Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo take pleasure in life after basketball
Father Time might sap even probably the most legendary athletes of their velocity and leaping means, however because the outdated adage goes, with age comes knowledge. This seems to be the case for each Rose and Rondo, who wish to stretch their strategic brains to the boundaries by persevering with to develop their horizons on this post-retirement endeavor.
Each turned savvy locker-room presences in direction of the top of their basketball careers, however now, they are going to put these brains of theirs to the take a look at on the chessboard. Retirement would not must be all glitz and glamour; it can be peaceable and quiet, as each Rose and Rondo are exhibiting.