NBA insider Shams Charania announced that the Chicago Bulls will honor their former number one overall pick, Derrick Rose, on Jan. 4, 2025. It will be a home game against the New York Knicks, and it is very much deserved. The Derrick Rose era is arguably the most successful they have seen this century.
The Chicago Bulls are one of the most iconic NBA franchises solely because of Michael Jordan’s domination. They drafted him third overall back in 1984, and Jordan wasted no time taking over the league. In his rookie season, Jordan led the entire league in scoring with 28.2 points per game and in nightly highlights with his insane displays of athleticism. The Bulls would make the playoffs in Jordan’s rookie season, and the Jordan era was off to the races. Over the next few seasons, Jordan would dominate the league, racking up accolades and numerous awards, including multiple MVP trophies. Jordan would finally break through in 1991 and win his first championship, and over the next eight years, he would win five more, cementing himself as one of, if not the greatest basketball players ever.
Since Jordan left, though, the Bulls have been one of the worst franchises in the NBA, on and off the court. Off the court, the relationship with their dynastic stars would fade terribly. Jordan was “forced out” because he refused to play for anybody except his coach, Phil Jackson, who the Bulls refused to bring back. Jordan was a man of his word and retired from the NBA a second time. The team then fell out with the second-best franchise player in Scottie Pippen, and he would eventually leave the Bulls for greener pastures elsewhere, as well. During the early 2000s, the Bulls could never really get it right. They had a few playoff appearances but won a grand total of only one playoff series, a far cry from the domination they enjoyed in the ’90s. It all changed when they drafted D. Rose in 2008.
Rose to Chicago was so special because he was drafted to his hometown. A Chicago kid who just dominated college all season long would be returning home to save a moribund franchise that desperately needed a new savior. And boy, did he deliver. His impact was felt immediately. His athleticism gave flashes of Jordan, and the city of Chicago instantly embraced its son. Not only would Rose go on to win the Rookie Of The Year award, but they would make the playoffs that year as a 7th seed and take the defending champion Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round. They might have lost, but they knew the city finally had a star they could believe in.
With Rose, the Bulls went on to reach heights they hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. The following season, DRose would lead the Chicago Bulls to another playoff appearance, but it was his third season in 2010 that he would leave his mark on not only Chicago but the entire NBA. In 2010, the Bulls would finish atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since Jordan in the ’90s. Rose would also complete a magical season, which earned him the honor of NBA regular season MVP at the age of 22, making him the youngest MVP ever, an honor he still holds.
THROWBACK THURSDAY
Rookie D Rose First Playoff Game (2009):
🔥 36 PTS
🔥 11 AST
🔥 4 REB
🔥 12/19 FGAgainst the Defending Champspic.twitter.com/Ma0KLQRztX
— Hoop Muse (@HoopMuse) September 26, 2024
Derrick Rose changed life in Chicago, on and off the court, which is why he deserves to be honored with his own day by the Bulls. Derrick Rose brought life and electrified a fanbase that had been dying for nearly a decade. He also brought good news to a city that desperately needed it. When Derrick Rose was drafted, the conversation shifted from how terrible and dangerous Chicago was to the story of one of their own making it out of the ‘hood. Derrick Rose brought hope and showed there was more to Chicago than crime and violence. He also proved that it is possible to make it out when many Black kids thought it was impossible. For that alone, he deserves his jersey hanging in the rafters.
