Chicago Bulls Retire Hometown Hero Derrick Rose’s No. 1 Jersey

The Chicago native retired in 2024.

Former Chicago Bulls player Derrick Rose announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 seasons in 2024, shortly before the season started, and the team honored him on Jan. 24 by hanging his jersey number in the rafters of the United Center.

According to NBA.com, the hometown hero is the fifth Bulls player to have his number retired, joining Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23), and Scottie Pippen (No. 33). His uniform number was 1. Rose was unfortunately plagued with injuries throughout his NBA career.

Before the game against the Boston Celtics, which the Bulls won, 106-103, he stated, “It was unreal. It still didn’t hit me. All of this, I’m still taking in and trying to process in real time. Even with the weather conditions outside, knowing it’s a Chicago thing to show up, to fight, to show up to an event, that’s huge.”

The team raised the banner and made it official after the Bulls’ victory.

At the start of the ceremony, former Bulls players Taj Gibson and Luol Deng delivered opening remarks, and about 20 of Rose’s former teammates, including Joakim Noah, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, and coach Tom Thibodeau, were in attendance.

As he accepted his honor, with the uniform raised to the rafters alongside the other legends who made history in Chicago, he expressed gratitude to the franchise and the fans, telling them the journey wasn’t about him.

“This journey was never about me,” he said. “Right from the jump, it was about creating a synergy that somehow people from the city can pull from. And somehow, I was that beacon or that vessel for the movement. But now, being 37 and looking at the totality of it, it never was about me. It was about everybody that found ways to come to my games. Somehow, we had some type of vibration that connected. … It was always meant to be.”

Now that he is no longer playing, he wants to concentrate on other passions, including his flower shop, as he contemplates what’s next for his career.

“Who knows what’s next?” he said. “My goal isn’t being around the game like that. I want to curate things, the flower shop, chess, to separate myself. I want to be in lanes nobody else is in. You’ll see.”

According to NBA.com, Rose entered the NBA after being selected No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2008. The Chicago native won the Rookie of the Year award and was chosen for the All-Star team in three of his first four seasons. He became the league’s youngest MVP when he won the award in 2011. He was just 22 years old at the time.

The point guard played his last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he also played his collegiate career at the University of Memphis. It wasn’t lost on him when he returned to the city that year. He also played for the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minneapolis Timberwolves, and Detroit Pistons.

You can check out his full speech below: