The Chicago Bulls plan to retire Derrick Rose’s jersey next season, team president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf informed Rose in person on Saturday. The announcement comes as the team honors the Chicago native and former MVP with tributes before and during their game against the New York Knicks. Rose’s No. 1 will be sent to the rafters sometime during the 2025-26 season, joining Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Jerry Sloan (4), and Bob Love (10) as the only Bulls players with retired numbers.
Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, had a successful early career, winning the Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and NBA MVP awards in his first three seasons. He remains the league’s youngest MVP, winning the award at 22 years old. However, a major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs forced him to miss almost two full seasons, and he has also dealt with other injury issues throughout his career.
Rose finished his 16-year career with averages of 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games. He averaged 21 points per game before the ACL tear and 15.1 points per game in the seasons that followed.