Derrick Rose reveals why jersey retirement isn't happening until next season
01/05/2025 07:03 PM
The Chicago Bulls revealed plans to retire Derrick Rose’s No. 1 jersey, making him the fifth player in team history to earn this distinction. The retirement ceremony is scheduled for the 2025-26 season, with further details to be announced later. Rose, still coming to terms with the news, shared that he's unsure how he'll feel when his jersey is officially raised to the rafters.
"Tonight is not about that. It’s about me giving to everybody that was a part of the story, the journey, the good, the bad, the ugly, it’s celebrating everyone,” said the NBA's youngest ever MVP.
The Bulls retiring Derrick Rose’s jersey
The Chicago Bulls revealed on Saturday their plans to retire Derrick Rose’s jersey during the 2025-26 season. The former MVP and Chicago native will join an exclusive group of Bulls legends, including Michael Jordan (No. 23), Scottie Pippen (No. 33), Jerry Sloan (No. 4), and Bob Love (No. 10), as the only players to have their numbers retired by the franchise.
Bulls team president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf personally delivered the news to Derrick Rose on Saturday morning, assuring him that “nobody's wearing that No. 1 jersey again”—unless Rose’s son, PJ, someday suits up for the team.
Rose, who ended his 16-season career with his retirement in September, was already slated for tributes before and during the Bulls’ matchup against the New York Knicks that evening.
"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," said Rose.
Honoring Derrick Rose
On Saturday, the Bulls introduced the "Derrick Rose Experience" in the United Center atrium, featuring memorabilia highlighting his storied career. Players from both teams donned special shooting shirts displaying "1.4.25," a nod to the date and the numbers he wore with the Bulls, Knicks, and at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago. Black T-shirts adorned with a red rose were placed on every seat, and the evening included various moments honoring Rose, his family, and his former teammates.
"Derrick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball," Reinsdorf added.
During halftime, Rose was greeted with resounding "MVP! MVP!" chants as a highlight reel celebrated his career. Seated beside his mother, Brenda, he became emotional when former teammate Joakim Noah praised him, saying, "You always put your city on your back" and called him "the people's champ."
The tribute continued with a video narrated by his son, PJ, before Rose took the microphone to address the crowd.
Rose’s time in Chicago
Rose, the Bulls' No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and the league's Rookie of the Year that same season, played eight seasons in Chicago and built one of the most accomplished careers in franchise history. A three-time NBA All-Star (2010, 2011, 2012), Rose made history in 2011 as the youngest player ever to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award, earning All-NBA First Team recognition in the process.
He helped the Bulls achieve the best record in the NBA (62-20) during the 2010-11 season, contributed to back-to-back top finishes in the Eastern Conference (2010-12), and was an integral part of the team's seven consecutive playoff appearances from 2008 to 2015.
A significant knee injury in the 2012 playoffs sidelined him for nearly two full seasons, and he considered retiring multiple times due to recurring injury problems.
Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists over 723 regular-season games. Before the ACL injury 12 years ago, he averaged 21 points per game, and 15.1 points per game in the seasons that followed. However, the Bulls icon emphasized that he doesn’t dwell on what could have been without the injuries.
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