Chicago Bulls To Retire Home-Grown Legend’s Number

The Chicago Bulls announced Thursday morning that they are planning to retire Derrick Rose’s number next season. The Chicago native’s number 1 jersey will ascend to the rafters on January 24, 2026. The ceremony will take place after the Bulls take on the Boston Celtics. This announcement comes after Chicago officially welcomed Rose back to the United Center in January of 2025.

Rose will be the fifth member of the Chicago Bulls to have his jersey number retired. Rose’s number 1 banner will hang next to Michael Jordan’s 23, Scottie Pippen’s 33, Jerry Sloan’s number 4, and Bob Love’s number 10. Rose’s eight seasons in Chicago match Love for the shortest tenured Bulls player to have his number retired. Injuries limited Rose’s impact in his later seasons with the team, but his communal and cultural impact on the team and the city make this a natural decision for the Chicago Bulls to make.

Derrick Rose To Have Jersey Retired By Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls made a huge announcement Thursday morning. Ten years after he last played for the Bulls, Rose will have his jersey number retired. In a postgame ceremony on January 24, 2026, the Chicago Bulls will hoist Rose’s number one jersey into the rafters to join the likes of Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Sloan, and Love. The ceremony will take place just over a year after the Bulls welcomed Rose back to the United Center on his own designated night.

Rose officially retired from the NBA on September 26, 2024. The Chicago Bulls have reintegrated him into the community he called home ever since, with “Derrick Rose Night” and now the official announcement that he will have his jersey number retired next season, enshrining him in the franchise’s history forever. Injuries robbed him of becoming one of the best guards of the 2010s, but he was still able to pack a lot in his eight seasons with the Bulls.

A Legendary Career

His impact on the Bulls was electric on the court. His leg injuries came as a surprise when they happened early in his career, but they shouldn’t have been a shocker. Rose’s quick-twitch speed and startling athleticism made him a one-man offensive threat. In an era that preceded the current mainstream offense of the NBA, Rose was one of the few guards who could be an offense unto himself. After his leg injuries, he relied more on an improved jump shot and mid-range runners and floaters, rather than the explosive aggression at the rim that characterized his first couple of seasons.

Rose’s impact on the collective attitude of the Chicago Bulls fanbase could’ve been more impactful than his play on the court. Anyone who watched Netflix’s 10-part documentary series on the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s remembers the end screen that displayed where all of the critical members of the dynasty went after the 1998 season. At the bottom, the text displayed “And the Bulls began to rebuild.” That rebuild did not go as planned, and the Bulls sank to the cellar of the NBA for a decade. It was Rose who brought the Chicago Bulls back into prominence.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft out of Memphis, Rose was asked to save his hometown team. Rose grew up in Englewood, one of the most dangerous and crime-ridden areas on the west side of Chicago. He went to Simeon High School and donned the 25 jersey that is given to the best player on the team in honor of Benji Wilson. Rose came out of poverty and instantly entertained his hometown fans, and helped bring the Bulls back to relevance.

Derailed By Injuries

When he suffered the first of his many leg injuries, the Chicago Bulls were on the verge of challenging the Miami Heat for Eastern Conference supremacy. The Bulls came into the playoffs as the top seed in the East, eclipsing the Heat by four games. With Game 1 of their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers firmly in hand, Rose landed awkwardly after attempting a contested jumper in the lane and collapsed on the ground. Chicago won the game, but ultimately lost the series 4-2.

Rose came back in 2013 ready to help the Bulls challenge the now-defending NBA Champion Miami Heat, only to suffer another leg injury in November, this time to his other leg. In his next comeback attempt, Rose re-injured the same leg in 2015. It just wasn’t in the cards for Rose in Chicago anymore. In 2016, the Bulls traded Rose to the New York Knicks, where his injury problems followed him.

Final Thoughts

Rose at his peak was a sight to see, made even more tantalizing by the fact that he had a whole decade ahead of him. On the day of his first knee injury, Rose was just 23 years old, one year removed from being named NBA MVP, the youngest ever in league history.

Although one of the best careers from a guard in NBA history was robbed from Rose, he stayed in the league as a role player up until the 2023-24 season. Now that his career has come to an end, the Chicago Bulls are ready to celebrate their local son and one of the most important cultural icons in the franchise’s history.