The Chicago Bulls will host a halftime celebration to honor the career of Derrick Rose in January.
The team announced Friday that “Derrick Rose Night” will be held during the Jan. 4 game against the New York Knicks at the United Center.
Holding the celebration during a game against the Knicks will also allow former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau — a long-time coach and mentor to Rose — to participate in the celebration along with the former star.
But the celebration won’t include one ceremony that Bulls fans were anticipating: the retirement of the No. 1 jersey, which Rose wore for seven seasons with the Bulls.
Although the Bulls haven’t formally announced plans to officially retire Rose’s number, no Bulls player has worn the No. 1 since the former MVP left Chicago in 2016. The team has retired four other players’ jerseys: Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23) and Scottie Pippen (No. 33). Honorary jerseys have also been retired for Jerry Krause and Phil Jackson.
Rose announced his retirement on Sept. 26 after 15 years in the NBA.
He will be canonized in the NBA as the youngest player in league history to win MVP in 2011, carrying high hopes for the future of the Bulls on his shoulders at the age of 22. Although his injury was disrupted by a series of injuries, Rose retired a three-time All-Star who guided the Bulls to four separate playoff runs.
January 4, 2025: Derrick Rose Night
Join us to celebrate one of our own pic.twitter.com/M5NGpFr8OX
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 11, 2024