Derrick Rose Cries As Chicago Bulls Announce Jersey Retirement

Source: Geoff Stellfox / Getty

Few athletes get to not only live up to the hype but also become household names on their hometown team.

Derrick Rose is one of those NBA players, and now the Chicago Bulls are ready to bestow the ultimate honor.

The Englewood native’s accomplishments include three consecutive All-Star appearances, being named the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year, and becoming the youngest MVP in league history at 22.

With all those accomplishments under his belt, the Bulls are preparing to retire his No. 1 jersey on Jan. 24, 2026, when the Boston Celtics play the Bulls at the United Center in Chicago.

Rose’s reaction to finding out his jersey would be hoisted into the rafters was caught on camera as Chicago Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf delivered the news.

Rose can be seen getting emotional as Reinsdorf explains that there’s actually one way someone can wear that jersey number again, and Rose won’t mind one exception.

“I’m just telling you: nobody’s wearing that No. 1 jersey again unless PJ is a Bull,” Reinsdorf said. “Then he’s wearing that No. 1 jersey. All right? Is that fair?”

“Derrick, we love you, we appreciate everything you’ve done for Chicago. You’re a special person,” Reinsdorf continued.

To celebrate the announcement, the Bulls displayed a massive D. Rose graphic outside the United Center on Thursday, but Bulls fans will be able to celebrate all season with a few perks.

“Fans can join in and celebrate Derrick throughout the season by attending four games, during which the Bulls will give away collectible Derrick Rose figurines at gates throughout the United Center while supplies last,” reads a press release.

Those four figurines will represent four key moments in Rose’s Bulls career.

It begins with a November 4 game against the Philadelphia 76ers, where fans can get a figure representing his Rookie of the Year campaign, “Face Mask Derrick,” on December 17 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers from when he fractured an eye bone ahead of the 2015-16 season, and despite the mas,k he started 66 games.

Then there’s next year’s “MVP Derrick” on February 22 against the New York Knicks —another team he played for— when he led the team to the 2010-11 number one seed in the east and became the youngest MVP in league history.

And finally, during March 19’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, there will be a “Green Jersey” Derrick figurine, remembering the time Rose and the team wore green alternate jerseys twice during the 2010-2011 season.

After 15 years in the NBA, Rose retired in September 2024 in a heartfelt letter that began “Thank You, My First Love.” He waxed poetic about all the work he put in and the gifts he reaped, like the game introducing him to “new places and cultures that a kid from Chicago could have never imagined.”