Image Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Chicago Bulls to retire Derrick Rose’s jersey next season, unveils “Derrick Rose Experience” at United Center

The Bulls legend retired in September after 16 seasons.

Image Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

According to ESPN, the Chicago Bulls will retire Derrick Rose’s No. 1 jersey next season. Rose played eight seasons for the Bulls and became the youngest MVP in NBA history.

The Chicago native will join the elite club of Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Jerry Sloan (4) and Bob Love (10) as the only players whose numbers have been retired by the team.

The Chicago Bulls will retire Derrick Rose’s No. 1 jersey in the rafters next season, ESPN has learned. Rose, a Chicago native, played eight seasons with the Bulls, becoming the youngest MVP in NBA history, and is now being honored as a fabric of the organization. pic.twitter.com/zjWizB0gI4
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 4, 2025

Team president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf informed Derrick Rose on Saturday morning, telling him “nobody’s wearing that No. 1 jersey again” unless son PJ plays for the team. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement: “Derrick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball.”

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An emotional tribute for Rose at United Center

The Bulls legend retired in September after 16 seasons and was given an emotional tribute during the Bulls-Knicks game. Chicago Bulls didn’t disappoint their star and secured a 139-126 win at United Center. Zach LaVine and Coby White scored 33 points apiece in the win.

“Tonight is not about that,” Rose said. He said it was about showing appreciation for “everybody that was a part of the story, the journey, the good, the bad, the ugly.”

“It’s celebrating everyone,” Derrick Rose said. “I understand coming from Chicago that it’s tough love. It’s a lot of tough love. You could forget about the love sometimes and just give toughness. Coming back, me being raised off of that tough love, I just wanted to show the love part. There’s toughness, too, but you don’t have to be tough all the time. It’s understanding and realizing why I’m here.”

"You're not only the MVP… you're the people's CHAMP."

– Joakim Noah to DRose 💯 pic.twitter.com/RNRYwDJJqZ
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2025

Chicago Bulls unveiled the “Derrick Rose Experience” in the United Center’s atrium showcasing memorabilia from Rose’s career. At the halftime of the game, the 36-year-old walked out to familiar “MVP! MVP!” chants after a highlight video played.

Rose didn’t hold his emotions and broke down when his former teammate, Joakim Noah told him he “always put your city on your back” and said he’s “the people’s champ.”

Derrick Rose was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He became Rookie of the Year in his debut season and became the NBA’s youngest MVP at the age of 22. The 36-year-old averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games.

Image Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.