CHICAGO — Derrick Rose said he was “still in a daze” after learning Saturday morning that the Chicago Bulls planned to retire his No. 1 jersey and hang it from the rafters next season.

The news came hours before the Bulls were scheduled to host Rose at the United Center during their game against the New York Knicks on Saturday night. Both teams wore jerseys honoring Rose with the date “1.4.25” during pregame warmups – all three numbers Rose wore during his career – and the team unveiled the Derrick Rose Atrium Experience to highlight unique memorabilia from Rose’s career .

Although Rose said he was looking forward to next season’s jersey ceremony, he admitted he couldn’t process those emotions given the upcoming celebrations this weekend.

“Tonight is not about that,” Rose said before the game. “It’s about me giving the journey to everyone who’s in this room, everyone who’s been a part of history, the good, the bad, the ugly, it’s about celebrating everyone.”

During halftime, the team held a tribute ceremony for Rose with speeches from announcers Stacey King and Neil Funk, as well as former teammate Joakim Noah, who led a sellout crowd in chants of “MVP, MVP.” The ceremony also included a tribute video to Rose highlighting his career and the premiere of a short film produced by the former Bulls star called “Becoming a Rose” as a tribute to the city of Chicago.

“Thank you, Chicago, for forcing me to be great,” Rose said during his halftime remarks. “For putting these expectations on me.”

Rose, a Chicago native, played eight seasons with the Bulls and became the youngest MVP in NBA history.

He joins Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23) and Scottie Pippen (No. 33) as just the fifth player in franchise history to have his jersey retired. The Bulls also have banners honoring former coach Phil Jackson and former general manager Jerry Krause.

No player has worn Rose’s jersey number during a game since he was traded to the New York Knicks in 2016. Chicago briefly gave the number to Michael Carter-Williams and Anthony Morrow, but both switched to a different number after fan backlash. After his time with the Bulls, Rose played for the Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies during his 15-year career.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Chicago, Minnesota and New York, said he believes there is no doubt that Rose is a Hall of Fame player.

“When you looked into the opponent’s eyes when they had to protect him, you could see the fear and the respect,” Thibodeau said before Saturday’s game. “His ability to give his best when his best was needed, big games, playoff games, meaningful games, he reached a new level. And he did it against the best… the true measure of a man is how he handles adversity and no one has done it better.

Days before Saturday’s ceremony, fans celebrated Rose as representatives from the Bulls and Rose unveiled a list of community events with Adidas.

He opened a one-day pop-up flower shop in Chicago that attracted hundreds of fans who lined up outside in the middle of winter to wait for their bouquet and photo. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared Saturday Derrick Rose Day in the city. Rose was hosting a charity basketball game at his high school alma mater and walked onto the court with his son PJ. On Saturday, fans lined up in front of the United Center more than an hour before the gates opened and were looking forward to the evening.

“You’re not just the MVP,” Noah said during his halftime speech, “you’re the people’s champion.”

Thibodeau added: “He’s probably the most popular player in the league.”

Although Rose still has a strong connection to his hometown, he said Saturday that he never came close to returning to the Bulls before his career ended.

“The time I had off this summer, especially this summer, with PJ and my kids was life-changing,” Rose said. “When I made the decision to just stop playing, I didn’t care where I was. It felt like it was time. I couldn’t trade that.”

The Bulls selected Rose No. 1 overall in 2008 and he was named the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year. He was a three-time All-Star and was named MVP in 2010-11, becoming the youngest in league history at 22 years old. However, Rose’s career in Chicago was derailed by injuries, including a torn ACL and a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (twice). He finished his career with 12,573 points and 3,770 assists in 723 games.

Despite the injuries, Rose said he doesn’t think about “what ifs” about his career.

“The last time I had these conversations was years ago, and who knows?” Rose said. “But at the same time, because I was obsessed (with basketball), I would never have figured out who I was as a person. I was obsessed with the game. So if I had won one championship, that’s what I would have done.” I won four and that would have taken me further and further away from the search for self-knowledge, self-disclosure and identity.

“Everyone has a different story. For some reason my story ended like this. Coming from Chicago, we rolled with the punches.”