Derrick Rose was moved to tears at the Bulls’ halftime ceremony as he retired his jersey number
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Derrick Rose was moved to tears at the Bulls’ halftime ceremony as he retired his jersey number

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 4: Former Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose becomes emotional during a halftime celebration on Derrick Rose Night at the United Center on January 4, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is agreeing to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

Derrick Rose felt the love in Chicago. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

Derrick Rose’s number retirement is yet to come, but the former league MVP was still feeling plenty of love from the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

With several former teammates in the building, the Chicago native was honored Saturday at a “Derrick Rose Night” halftime ceremony at the United Center during a game between the Bulls and the New York Knicks, the two teams that represented Rose’s 11 15 seasons in the NBA. You can watch the entire ceremony here.

Speakers included Bulls commentator Stacey King and Bulls and Knicks teammate Joakim Noah. The latter’s speech moved Rose to tears.

After a lengthy tribute video, Rose gave his own speech, which included:

“Being great means sometimes not being liked. You have to show the courage that (even if) people don’t like you or whatever, I’m confident in my choice. I’m confident I can do it.” I want to be great. You want to be great

“So thank you, Chicago, for forcing me to be great, for putting these expectations on me and not understanding that I was trying to be great all this time too, and I just didn’t know that The environment in which I found myself forced me to do it.” . So thank you to everyone who has watched me since I was in sixth, seventh and eighth grade, injuries, MVP, playoff losses, playoff wins, thank you.”

Rose announced his retirement in September, more than securing his place in Chicago basketball history. He was the local Simeon High School star who, by a stroke of luck, returned as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and turned the struggling Bulls into an Eastern Conference contender.

Injuries eventually ended his run as a top player, but his reception on Saturday showed the city still sees him as a star. The Bulls announced earlier Saturday that Rose would become the fifth player in team history to have his number retired, joining Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Jerry Sloan (4) and Bob Love (10). and will take place as part of a ceremony at a later date.

No, there will be no statue.

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