On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls announced that they would retire the no.1 jersey worn by former Bulls star guard, Derrick Rose.
It’s a fitting tribute for Rose, who was a dominant player for the Bulls during his tenure in Chicago.
As the number one overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of Memphis, Rose made an immediate impact for his hometown team, winning Rookie of the Year that season while averaging 16.8 ppg, 6.3 apg and 3.9 rpg and leading the Bulls back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
In his next three seasons with the Bulls, Rose became a 3x All Star while leading the Bulls to three straight playoff appearances while averaging 22.5 ppg, 7.2 apg and 3.8 rpg.
But it was during the 2010-11 season when Rose really made his mark on the league.
That season, at the age of 22, he averaged 25 ppg, 7.7 apg and 4.1 rpg en route to becoming the youngest league MVP in NBA history. That year he also led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to LeBron, D-Wade and the Miami Heat.
Unfortunately, in April of the following season during the first round of the playoffs, Rose suffered a devastating ACL injury that would not only keep him out of the following season, but which also derailed his bright career on the NBA hardwood.
Rose went on to play for the Knicks, the Cavs, Timberwolves, Detroit and Memphis, but could never match his superstar status of his days in Chicago.
In 2024, Rose retired from the NBA.
On Thursday, the Bulls surprised Rose with the honor of raising his no.1 jersey to the rafters, which will take place on January 24th, 2026.
“Nobody’s wearing that No. 1 jersey again…unless PJ is a Bull,” team president Michael Reinsdorf told Derrick, referring to his son, PJ Rose.
But that’s not the only honor Rose will be receiving.
Leading up to his jersey retirement event, the Bulls will be honoring their former MVP with giveaways during four games in the upcoming season that capture different moments in his career: “Rookie of the Year” Derrick (11/4/25), “Face Mask” Derrick (12/17/25), “MVP” Derrick (2/22/26) and “Green Jersey” Derrick (3/19/26).
“The game has given me more than I ever could have imagined,” wrote Rose in a post after learning about his jersey retirement. “From Englewood to the rafters, my story has always been about making the city proud. This isn’t for me. This is for Chicago. Peace and Love- Pooh.”
So in January, Rose will join Jerry Sloan (no.4), Bob Love (no.10), Michael Jordan (no.23) and Scottie Pippen (no.33) as the only players to have their jersey numbers retired by the Bulls.
