Bulls' Derrick Rose wears 'I Can't Breathe' t-shirt in support of late Eric Garner

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who is normally muted when it comes to the media, made a loud and powerful statement Saturday during the pre-game shootaround.

Rose wore a shirt with the caption "I can't breathe" prior to tip-off between the Bulls and Golden State Warriors. The gesture was undoubtedly in reference to the passing of Eric Garner.

Rose didn't speak to the media after the Bulls lost to the Warriors, but his teammate Joakim Noah talked about his point guard's pre-game attire. 

I knew Derrick was gonna put that t-shirt on. He has every right to express his beliefs. I respect Derrick a lot. He was definitely making a statement by wearing it. That’s my guy.

If he wants to do it, I respect it. I think a lot of people feel that way. When you wear a t-shirt and a statement, everybody’s gonna know how you feel about it. I respect that 150 percent. … It’s really sad what happened. Police brutality is something that happens. Not every cop is a bad person, not every black person is a bad person. You can’t judge people but he definitely made a statement by wearing that t-shirt.

Taj Gibson, who like Noah is also from New York, also talked to the media about Rose's silent yet powerful statement:

I thought it was great. It was just him speaking his mind. It’s a good thing for a positive movement, but we’ve got to get back to focusing on basketball. I didn’t know. I was just as surprised as you guys. I thought it was great. I’m from New York. I thought it was a great message, but still it’s hard losing after a game like that.