The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose‘s No. 1 jersey on January 24, 2026, according to a team press release (Twitter link).
Chicago announced this past January — ahead of “Derrick Rose Night” — that it would be adding Rose’s jersey to the rafters of the United Center at some point during the 2025/26 season. Now we know the ceremony will occur on a Saturday when Chicago hosts Boston, as shown by the Bulls’ official schedule.
Rose, who retired as a player this past September, spent eight seasons with Chicago, his hometown team. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune noted last October, no Bull has worn No. 1 since Rose was traded to New York in 2016.
“Derrick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in January. “Retiring a jersey recognizes a player’s impact beyond on-court achievements. It honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the organization and forged deep, lasting connections with fans. It recognizes that emotional bond and the great influence a player has had on the team and organization’s identity.”
The Bulls selected Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury. Overall, he averaged 19.7 PPG, 6.2 APG and 3.7 RPG in 406 regular season games with the Bulls, posting a shooting slash line of .448/.302/.813.
Rose, who turns 37 in early October, will be the fifth former Bull to have his jersey retired, joining Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23) and Scottie Pippen (No. 33). Chicago also has banners honoring former head coach Phil Jackson and former GM Jerry Krause.
The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.
Not a Bulls fan but we all missed out with his career being so altered by injuries. He was something to watch early on.
Still managed to have a solid career but definitely a what could have been kind of situation.
Thanks for every thinG D Rose. It ain’t been the same since you left biG doG.
5 years total in games played for the Bulls
Didn’t accomplish anything as a team during that time. Just some exciting losses to the Cavs and Celtics.
Def a stretch to retire his number
I was thinking the same to be honest.
Agreed. Greatest stretch they’ve had since Jordan. Not a lot of franchises get to draft a ROY and an MVP in the same era.
He’s local and won an MVP. For half a decade the excitement factor was unmatched, and he put a lot of butts in those seats that wouldn’t have otherwise been there.
What if for sure.
For what? lol
He quit on that team even when he was healthy.
Had a short but great run in Chicago. He deserves the honor. Congrats DRose …….
He was great before Thibs ran him into the ground like he does everybody who plays for him. I could really care less about retiring his number as they are the Bulls numbers and they can do whatever they want with them. If they thought so much of him why didn’t they keep him? Still he’s a Chicago guy and was great however it played out. So congrats to D. Rose.