Derrick Rose changed the entire vibe of the Chicago Bulls the moment he stepped on the court in 2009. He made the team exciting again after years of post-Jordan searching. Winning league MVP in 2011 at just 22 made it feel like Chicago basketball was fully back. The United Center buzzed every night because of him, and the Second City felt like it was on top of the world once again.
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Then the injuries hit, and everything shifted fast. The ACL tear did not just change Rose’s career, it altered the Bulls’ trajectory too. What once looked like a dynasty run turned into a long stretch of what-ifs. But his impact in Chicago never faded, because fans remember what he was and what could have been.
So it was only fitting that the United Center was filled once again as D-Rose’s jersey was retired and hung in the rafters alongside Chi-Town greats like Scottie Pippen and MJ. It clearly meant the world not just to Rose, but to Chicago. He was the city’s heartbeat after years of being absent from relevance, and his response to the honor was filled with humility.
“This journey was never about me. Like right from the jump, it was never about me. It was about creating a synergy that somehow people from the city could pull from. And somehow I was that beacon or that vessel for that from hooping,'” Rose stated in a press conference.
“But now being at 37, and looking at the totality of it, it never was about that. It was about everybody that found ways to come to my games that somehow we had some type of operation that connected while they played, or somebody told them. It’s no coincidence that all this is going on and the people that watched me play showed up today. It was all meant to be,” he added.
Derrick Rose on why it has been so important to him to make the fans a part of the celebration
“It was never about me” pic.twitter.com/TCRlUsXNAe
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) January 25, 2026
Rose could have been bitter, or angry with the injuries that slowed him down. Instead, he chose to be grateful for the greatness that he achieved in such a short time. And if not for the LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh Miami Heat, who knows? Maybe the Bulls might have won a ring after all.
D-Rose’s story in Chicago isn’t measured in rings or stats. It’s measured in moments, energy, and the way he made a metropolis believe again. He could have let injuries define him, but instead he left a legacy that goes beyond basketball. Excitement, hope, and a standard. Not just as an athlete either, but as a human being.
Hanging that jersey wasn’t just a nod to what he did on the court, it was a reminder of how much he gave to a city that needed him. For Chicago, D-Rose will always be more than a player. He’s a symbol of possibility, resilience, and why fans keep showing up.
