The Chicago Bulls will welcome Derrick Rose back to the United Center on Saturday night for a highly-anticipated retirement celebration.
The festivities will begin two hours before tip-off when the Bulls open the gates to the Derrick Rose Atrium Experience. The interactive installation will feature artifacts from Rose’s iconic career and even allow fans to leave Rose a message via a digital guest book. Moving inside the arena, fans will be greeted with their own commemorative shirt, as well as see both the Bulls and Knicks sport Rose-inspired warm-up gear.
The rest of the night will presumably feature numerous video tributes and a halftime ceremony. However, what exactly the Bulls have planned for the intermission period remains unclear. If one thing is for sure, one night of applause and novelty items will fail to satisfy a lot of fans. Many believe the youngest MVP in NBA history deserves a more permanent acknowledgment from the organization.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)Will Bulls Do Something Special for Derrick Rose?
To be sure, the franchise has yet to commit to any sort of jersey retirement ceremony or statue. They have been notoriously stingy about recognizing franchise legends in this fashion ever since their inception. So while they could blindside fans with one or the other on Saturday night, no one in the building should be holding their breath.
If they were planning to honor the former guard, however, let’s hope they checked with the man of the hour first. Rose recently spoke with ESPN’s Shams Charania and expressed a clear preference between one of the two classic choices.
“I would love that,” Rose told ESPN regarding a jersey retirement. “That’s more me if they would do it.”
As for the possible alternative …
“The way people have been creating these statues, I don’t want a statue,” he told Charania. “No statue. Jerry (Reinsdorf), no statue. Please, Michael (Reinsdorf), no statue.”
I can’t blame the guy! After all, there has been plenty of statue controversy in recent years. Whether it be the mistakes on Kobe Bryant’s figure outside the Staple Center or the … uh … not-so-accurate portrayal of Dwyane Wade in Miami, Rose’s concerns are valid.
"I would love that."Derrick Rose says he wants his jersey retired by the Bulls ❤️(via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/Kr9kTTHZFm
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 3, 2025Everyone also knows that a jersey retirement is considered the highest honor. Rose even went on to say that this would feel like his own version of joining the NBA’s Top 75 list. Only a select few players have received this type of distinction after their playing days were over. And many sure believe Rose is worthy of that distinction!
The guard’s peak may have been short-lived due to injury, but his impact on the organization and city was immense. He remains one of the most famous athletes in Chicago history, as well as one of only two players in franchise history to ever win an MVP award. Heck, if any player who steps foot in Chicago refuses to wear the number, that should tell you all you need to know!
Put in the rafters, Jerry!
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