Derrick Rose Wish Comes True After Major Chicago Bulls Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eros Villanueva | Last updated Jan 4, 2025 1:57 PM ET

The Chicago Bulls just granted Derrick Rose's biggest wish.

Rose will officially have his No. 1 jersey retired by the franchise next season, according to an announcement by the Bulls on Saturday, making him just the fifth player in the team's illustrious history to be given the honor.

Rose, the youngest player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in NBA history, will join a prestigious shortlist that includes Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23), and Scottie Pippen (No. 33) in the rafters.

The announcement comes a day after an interview with ESPN's Shams Charania, where Rose expressed desire to see his jersey retired by the Bulls franchise.

"My jersey being retired, I would love that," Rose said. "That would be my way of getting close to the Top 75 (NBA Anniversary Team).

"It's only a handful, a small group that got that trophy back there. And to think that way of playing, the Chicago way of playing, is not in that 75, it makes you think about it a little bit or question it a little bit," Rose added.

Rose was notably the only MVP left off the NBA's 75th Anniversary List in 2021, but he has nonetheless remained a fan favorite across the league -- especially in Chicago, even years after leaving the Bulls in 2016.

Seeing his jersey up in the rafters will certainly ease the sting of that omission, but it will also give the 36-year-old Rose something more preferable than another tribute he would rather go without: a statue.

"The way people [have] been creating the statues, I do not want no statue," Rose joked.

Rose might have been referring to the Dwyane Wade statue unveiled last October by the Miami Heat, who drew criticism for the way it looked.

"No statue. Jerry [Reinsdorf, Bulls owner], no statue bro. Michael [Jordan], please, no statue," Rose hilariously pleaded.

Drafted out of the University of Memphis with the top overall pick in the NBA Draft, wasted no time injecting life back into the franchise with a dominant and entertaining style of play that earned buzz and hype not seen since the heyday of the Michael Jordan-led iteration of the Bulls back in '90s.

Rose won Rookie of the Year in his first season in 2009, then earned a historic MVP award two years later after leading the Bulls to a No. 1 seed in the 2010-11 season.

Injuries derailed his ascent during most of his tenure with the Bulls, but Rose still remained a fixture in the hearts of Chicago fans even as he bounced across five more teams.

Rose retired in 2023 with averages of 17.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds on 45.2 percent shooting after 15 seasons. He might have ended his career without a ring, but his electric time with the Bulls has certainly earned him enough merit to be immortalized alongside some of the game's biggest legends.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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