On January 5th, Beijing time, the Chicago Bulls officially announced that they will retire Derrick Rose's No. 1 jersey next season. The statement reads: "The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose's jersey in the 2025-26 season. No other Bulls player will wear the No. 1 jersey. No. 1 forever belongs to Chicago."
Bulls President Michael Reinsdorf personally informed Rose of this matter. Upon hearing the news, Rose was very emotional and moved to tears, then his face was filled with smiles; Michael also said that in the future, only PJ (Rose's son) could wear the No. 1 jersey for the Bulls. With tears in his eyes, Rose indicated that it was okay; Rose hugged and thanked Michael, then shouted out the window.
Yesterday, Rose expressed on the show that he hoped the Bulls would retire his No. 1 jersey, jokingly saying that considering the current level of statue production, please don't erect a statue for me.
Today, Rose's wish has come true. His No. 1 jersey will be retired next season. Rose joins Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Jordan (No. 23), and Pippen (No. 33) as the fifth Bulls player to have his jersey retired; additionally, Bill Russell's jersey was also retired by the Bulls (No. 6, retired throughout the league).
James, Paul, Noah, Korver, and others recorded videos to pay tribute to Rose. During this time, James said: "Derrick Rose will always be remembered in basketball games. Congratulations, brother, the best is yet to come."
Today is Rose Night. Both the Bulls and Knicks teams wore special T-shirts printed with "January 4, 2025" for their warm-up, which is the day of the city of Chicago known as Rose Day; Lavine and others all entered wearing No. 1 jerseys.
Before the game, when talking about his former beloved player Rose, Thibodeau said: "He may be the most beloved player in the league. When opposing players defend him, looking into their eyes, you can see fear and respect. In my heart, he is undoubtedly a Hall of Fame player."
Today is the only time Thibodeau visits Chicago this season. He has worked with Rose on multiple teams including the Bulls, Knicks, and Timberwolves.