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Chicago Bulls point guard and former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose was one month shy of his seventh birthday when Tupac Shakur died in 1996. But the fact that Rose was in elementary while Shakur was arguably at the height of his career doesn’t seem to have stopped Rose from learning and appreciating Tupac’s ideology and vast, posthumous body of work. Shakur’s voice provides the narration for a new Powerade commercial starring Rose, and the Chicago native explained why the late rapper and actor’s work resonated with him.

“I love ‘Pac for what he stood for,” Rose said. “He stood for something more than music. He knew where he was at in this life, and he knew where he wanted to be and where he wanted to go.”

According to AdWeek, this is the first commercial featuring narration by Tupac Shakur. The message of empowering youth and battling through adversity comes coincidentally while Rose is sidelined with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. While this is the second time in 15 months Rose has had surgery performed on one of his knees, the Bulls expect Rose to make a full recovery within four to six weeks.

You can view an extended clip of Rose’s Powerade ad, which was originally premiered on Complex, below.

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