The Chicago Bulls were home to arguably the most influential basketball player of all time, and possibly the greatest ever, Michael Jordan. He put the franchise on the global map and made millions of fans around the world wear his jersey, and with it the iconic Bulls colors. But even though the team has not reached the same heights since Jordan’s era, another superstar once carried the city on his back and inspired the community in a very different way.
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Derrick Rose lifted the Second City’s spirits to new heights. Before injuries derailed his prime, he was widely considered the best player in the league not named LeBron James, even winning the MVP in 2011.
But who had a better impact on the city of Chicago? Jordan or Rose. The easy answer would be Jordan, but that would be overlooking one huge factor. Shaquille O’Neal asked this question to his old teammate and fellow Chicago native, Dwayne Wade, on the latest edition of his podcast.
The Diesel brought up how Kendrick Perkins and Draymond Green mentioned that Rose was more significant and wondered if D-Wade had any insight. “Community impact. He’s from Chicago. So it’s different from that standpoint,” answered Wade. “He’s a kid from nothing from Chicago.”
Wade’s response actually resonated with Shaq, who was initially confused by the comparison. “His story, everyone in Chicago can resonate with his story. Everybody can’t resonate with Michael Jordan’s story. Michael Jordan is a myth, he’s a legend, he’s an icon. But Derrick Rose means more to the DNA of Chicago because he’s one of them.”
And it’s very true. As someone who lived in Chicago for over a decade, Jordan was God, but D-Rose is family. There was an energy to the city that was hard to describe. His MVP season felt lie watching a little brother hit the walk-off home run in the Little League World Series. Rose’s success was Chicago’s success.
However, Shaq wanted the question answered from a basketball perspective, as if not hearing Jordan’s name at the top of a list broke something in his brain. “In the overall scheme of things Michael Jordan. But for the kids of Chicago, it would be Derrick Rose,” fired back Wade. Again, Wade knows, he had a similar upbringing.
The sad part of the story is that Rose’s momentum was halted by the toll injuries took on his body. Even after that, though, he still showed flashes of brilliance. One of the clearest examples came in the 2020-21 season with the Knicks, when he finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting. It was a long way from his MVP prime, but it was a reminder of the talent that once defined him.
The beautiful part is that Chicago never forgot him. His No. 1 was retired earlier this season, and the ceremony felt just as monumental and meaningful as when MJ’s jersey was lifted into the rafters. That is exactly where it belongs. Right next to the legends who helped put the franchise on the map.
Rose will never be Jordan, and Jordan will never be Rose. Each man deserves to be celebrated for what he brought to the game and to the city. And while Jordan’s greatness echoes across the world, it was D-Rose who made the United Center feel special again for Chicago.
