Derrick Rose will formally attain Chicago immortality when the Bulls retire his jersey this season, marking the completion of a full-circle second for one of many nice icons within the metropolis’s basketball historical past. Rose will see his iconic No. 1 raised into the United Middle rafters on January 24, presumably at halftime of the workforce’s recreation towards the Boston Celtics that night.
Rose, a son of Chicago himself, attended Simeon Excessive Faculty throughout his teenage years and wore the distinguished No. 25, which the college reserves for its biggest gamers in honor of the late Benji Wilson. Rose, a high 5 participant within the famed Class of 2007 who wore No. 1 for the Meanstreets journey ball program he performed for, took his skills to Memphis for his lone season of faculty basketball, main the Tigers to additional time of the 2008 nationwide championship recreation earlier than finally declaring for that 12 months’s NBA Draft.
January 24, 2026 🌹
Be part of us for Derrick Rose Jersey Retirement Evening after we formally add No. 1 to the United Middle rafters. pic.twitter.com/WvuNMEwWkn
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 21, 2025
A Easy And Fateful Alternative
The Bulls didn’t need to assume too onerous to pick Rose No. 1 general, however it did take some divine (or David Stern) intervention for Chicago to land the highest decide that 12 months with only a 1.7 p.c likelihood to win the draft lottery. Though the cruelty of accidents prevented the storybook profession the scriptwriters envisioned Rose would have within the Windy Metropolis, the bond he had with probably the most prolific fan base in basketball was one of the unabashed amorous affairs in American sports activities for a number of years.
It didn’t take lengthy for Rose to justify his place as one of many nice guard prospects of his technology. In 2011 at 22 years outdated, he edged out a chief LeBron James to turn out to be the youngest participant in NBA historical past to take dwelling the MVP award. LeBron and the stacked Miami Warmth bought the higher of Rose within the Japanese Convention Finals that 12 months, and it was sadly the one reliable have a look at what may have been a defining rivalry throughout the 2010s.
By means of The Ups And Downs
As actuality would inform it, Rose would lead the Bulls to a league-best 50-16 report throughout the lockout-shortened season 2011-12 season, however tragedy would strike in Sport 1 of the Bulls’ first-round collection towards the No. 8 seed Philadelphia 76ers in late April. Main by 12 factors with simply over a minute remaining, Rose would go down in a heap throughout a drive to the basket with an harm that will change the trajectory of not solely his personal profession, however of the Chicago Bulls franchise and NBA historical past at giant.
In a means, the trials and tribulations that Rose confronted whereas chasing the ghost of the participant he as soon as was solely deepened his bond with the town that noticed him go from {that a} considerably shy, baby-faced child at Simeon Excessive Faculty, to an NBA MVP, to a participant that had been dealt one of the unlucky fingers of any star participant in league historical past. On January 24, 2026, Chicago and Derrick Rose will stand hand in hand another time in remembrance of each the ups and downs of a profession that was extremely memorable, if nothing else.
