Derrick Rose on being the fifth Chicago Bulls player to have his jersey retired: "A lot of sacrificing and chess gambit moves"

Derrick Rose recently achieved a major career milestone as the Chicago Bulls retired his jersey No. 1 in the rafters of the United Center.

It was a surreal moment for the Chicago native, whose NBA journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.

On the rise, the youngest MVP in league history saw his career take a sad turn after tearing his ACL during the 2012 playoffs. Though D-Rose recovered successfully, he was never the same again, but he remained an important piece on all teams going forward.

After much deliberation and consideration of fan sentiment, the Bulls decided to honor Rose with a jersey retirement. He recently reflected on being the fifth jersey to hang in the United Center rafters.

The 6’3″ guard joined Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in this impressive feat.

“A lot of sacrificing and chess gambit moves to be able to put myself in the position to be where I’m at right now. I ain’t won a championship, but I feel like I gave my all or with the teams that we played here, we feel like we all gave our all. And that’s how we got in this position. Like I said, we ain’t win one, but we came pretty close,”expressed the 37-year-old.

Following the footsteps of Air Jordan

The greatest to ever wear the Bulls uniform, MJ delivered six championships to the Windy City. Not to mention how Jerry Reinsdorf’s organization also benefited from his global popularity. Hence, when he called it quits in 1998, it left an almost impossible void to fill.

It took the Bulls nearly a decade to return to the quest for a championship, finding their next big star in D-Rose in 2008. Nonetheless, health setbacks did not stop Rose from putting in the effort and giving it his all whenever he stepped on the hardwood, which is why he could relate to greats like MJ.

“Now when I look back at it, I look at like MJ and all the people that was before me, they had no regrets.Like MJ got no regrets. You see, Mike, like whenever he talks or whenever he do interviews, it’s like I could speak this way because I know that this is the future,” said Rose.

“And in the past, I did everything I could do. I maxed out every day. Every practice, I felt like I gave as much as I could. Every game, I probably could have did more, but for the majority of my career, for the most part, I felt like I went out and tried to win every game,” he concluded.

Rose’s dedication and willpower recently also earned him high praise from Jordan himself.

Making MJ proud

“Derrick, congratulations on the retirement of your jersey. Very happy for you. You had an unbelievable career. You’ve really represented the city of Chicago, the Chicago Bulls, your family and yourself very well. I’m very proud of you. Looking forward to coming to United Center and seeing your jersey hanging with my jersey,” said Mike in a recorded clip.

Rose may not have brought the city of Chicago a title as most expected, but it never diminished his value as a player. His ability to keep going for 15 years despite all the setbacks is what makes him one of Chicago’s greatest.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Derrick Rose on being the fifth Chicago Bulls player to have his jersey retired: “A lot of sacrificing and chess gambit moves”

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