CHICAGO – Derrick Rose will make his directorial debut with his new short film “Becoming a Rose,” a heartfelt tribute to Chicago, at Saturday’s Chicago Bulls game.

The almost four-minute film was made in collaboration with Adidas and co-directed by Rose.

It begins with Rose and his 12-year-old son, PJ Rose, walking onto the court at the United Center. The scenes then shift to various locations throughout Chicago, including Rose’s childhood home in Englewood, Simeon High School, a hair salon on Cottage Grove, and a park in the South Side neighborhood.

The short film, narrated by PJ, has been described as a love letter to Chicago following Rose’s official retirement in September. He is scheduled to be honored in the Bulls’ game against the New York Knicks on Saturday evening. After its midterm debut, the film will be widely released online.

“Chicago means a lot to me…it made me realize that no matter what you go through, it shapes your character,” Rose said during a private screening of the film at Soho House on Thursday. “I wanted this to be about the people, the city and the journey – and not just about me.”

The film is filled with appearances from Rose’s family and friends, who gathered at Thursday’s screening to show their support.

“Going back to some of those places and finding love and having my family there and having my kids there…like having a production team at 73rd and Paulina…it was amazing,” Rose said, breaking down in tears as he described the experience.

“Becoming a Rose” is the second film project Rose has worked on. The basketball star previously served as executive producer of the 2019 documentary “Pooh: The Derrick Rose Story,” which highlights the highs and lows of Rose’s career, including the exact moment the then-Bulls player found out he was joining the Knicks was transferred.

His latest project hopefully won’t be his last, as Rose said he plans to continue working in the film industry and take the time to learn more about the process while working on “Becoming a Rose.” A behind-the-scenes video shown Thursday showed Rose working on the storyboarding process and coaching his son on the film’s voiceover.

The former basketball player described the joy he felt making films as he moves into a new chapter of his life after retirement and said he was ready to direct with the same dedication he had for basketball.

“It means a lot. It’s motivating and a joy for me. That’s what I meant by happiness because happiness is temporary…that was the league,” Rose said. “Joy is what we are all feeling right now. You can’t measure it…You’ll always catch me crying…but there’s nothing wrong with it because I know where I come from.”

Rose didn’t say what kind of films he wants to pursue, but shared his goals of working with a major film production company like Warner Bros. He said Quentin Tarantino was one of his favorite filmmakers.

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