10 Things To Know About The adidas D Rose 5

Find out more about the recently introduced adidas D Rose 5.

Words // Zac Dubasik

Yesterday, along with the Crazy Light Boost, adidas introduced the D Rose 5. It's Derrick's most personal shoe yet, and a lot of time and effort has gone into both the performance and personal details on the shoe. To learn more detais about the D Rose 5, we sat down with adidas’ Jack Grey, the product manager of the shoe. Check out these 10 things you need to know about Derrick's upcoming fifth signature model.

 



1. Boost:

After first debuting in running, Boost cushioning is now taking center stage with basketball. “We wanted to ramp up the performance factor, and Boost was a logical thing for us,” explained Grey.

 



2. Testing:

According to Grey, the testing process was extensive to bring Boost to the D Rose line. “We had a shoe that we actually called a ‘mule.’ It was just a real basic upper, but had the Boost unit. We were just testing and testing and testing it, and once we felt like it was right, it made sense for Derrick because of his style of play and explosiveness.”

 



3. New Construction:

In the past, Derrick’s shoes have utilized a SPRINTFRAME construction that wrapped TPU from the heel to the forefoot, over the shoe’s midsole. With Boost, the enlarged plate has been moved beneath the midsole, to allow the foot unrestricted access to the Boost’s cushioning properties, and the heel is now supported with an EVA-based fit cage.

 



4. SPRINTWEB

The lightweight support and breathability offered by SPRINTWEB is back again in the Rose, but it continues to evolve. "You're going to see a ton of color, and you're actually going to see a number of different editions or iterations uppers," said Grey.

 



5. The Logo:

On the heels of Derrick Rose’s past shoes, they’ve included adidas’ signature Three Stripes. But on the D Rose 5, it’s been replaced by Derrick’s own logo. But according to Grey, it’s been replaced by something that’s becoming just as recognizable. “For us, Boost is the future of our brand. So if you see Boost, you know adidas.”

 



6. But There Are Still Stripes

You’ve seen them on the heel, but this time they’ve moved to the bottom. “He’s explosive, and now he’s going to be jumping over people. The Stripes are still there.”

 



7. 2014.2015

Derrick’s shoe for the 2014-2015 season is the Rose 5, which it pays tribute to via Roman Numerals on the shoe’s heel: MMXIV-MMXV.

 



8. Brenda and PJ

While there have been colorways created speficically to pay tribute to Derrick’s mom in the past, this time, the shoe itself has Brenda detailing, found on one toe, along with his son’s name, PJ, on the other.

 



9. Details

Upon close inspection, you’ll see a series of words inscribed on the unique ankle support of the Rose 5. Here’s a breakdown of what they mean:


“R.A.D.” – stands for his brothers, Reggie, Allen and Dwayne, who helped raise Derrick, giving him the opportunity to play basketball undeterred

“Not supposed to be here” – quote Derrick gave at a press conference for the launch of the D Rose 3 where he spoke on how he defied the odds to be a successful NBA player

“No Freshman” – represents the rule at his high school where freshman weren’t allowed to play on the varsity basketball team

“Everybody Eats” – his desire to uplift those in his circle and from his neighborhood of Englewood

“1.7%” – the odds that the Chicago Bulls had to land the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, which they used to select Derrick

 



10. More Details

The outsole of the D Rose 5 features a square pattern in the heel, and a wave-like pattern in the forefoot, accented by Derrick’s own signature which has been woven into the traction.