The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose‘s No. 1 jersey on January 24, 2026, according to a team press release (Twitter link).
Chicago announced this past January — ahead of “Derrick Rose Night” — that it would be adding Rose’s jersey to the rafters of the United Center at some point during the 2025/26 season. Now we know the ceremony will occur on a Saturday when Chicago hosts Boston, as shown by the Bulls’ official schedule.
Rose, who retired as a player this past September, spent eight seasons with Chicago, his hometown team. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune noted last October, no Bull has worn No. 1 since Rose was traded to New York in 2016.
“Derrick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in January. “Retiring a jersey recognizes a player’s impact beyond on-court achievements. It honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the organization and forged deep, lasting connections with fans. It recognizes that emotional bond and the great influence a player has had on the team and organization’s identity.”
The Bulls selected Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury. Overall, he averaged 19.7 PPG, 6.2 APG and 3.7 RPG in 406 regular season games with the Bulls, posting a shooting slash line of .448/.302/.813.
Rose, who turns 37 in early October, will be the fifth former Bull to have his jersey retired, joining Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Michael Jordan (No. 23) and Scottie Pippen (No. 33). Chicago also has banners honoring former head coach Phil Jackson and former GM Jerry Krause.
The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.