Derrick Rose Gives Honest Thoughts on Bulls Giving Him Statue, Retiring Jersey

The 2011 league MVP weighs in on how he would feel about being given long-term honors in his hometown.

Apr 9, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images / Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images

2011 league MVP Derrick Rose has reflected on his legacy with his hometown Chicago Bulls, the team that selected him No. 1 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, ahead of future Hall of Famers Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love (the Nos. 4 and 5 picks out of UCLA).

Rose, a hyper-athletic above-the-rim superstar in his prime, spent parts of his eight pro seasons with Chicago — although he missed all of 2012-13 and all but 10 games of 2013-14. In addition to his MVP award, Rose earned three All-Star berths and made one All-NBA team, while guiding the Bulls to a pair of No. 1 seeds and one Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the team's first (and last) since its Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen prime ended in 1998.

During a new conversation with ESPN's Shams Charania — who hails from Wilmette, a suburb along Chicago's North Shore (Rose was raised in Englewood on Chicago's South Side) — Rose reflected on his Bulls legacy.

"I would love that."

Derrick Rose says he wants his jersey retired by the Bulls ❤️

(via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/Kr9kTTHZFm

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 3, 2025

"[Former Bulls power forward] Taj Gibson said that you should have a statue at the United Center," Charania said. "Do you agree with Taj that you should have a statue? Do you agree with I want to say 99.9 percent of Chicago that you should have your jersey retired?"

Rose's charmed tenure as the superstar point guard on a winning program was tragically short-lived. In 2012, at age 23, he suffered a non-contact torn ACL injury during the final minutes of a blowout Game 1 East quarterfinals playoff victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a career-altering moment. As mentioned, the 6-foot-2 Memphis product missed the entire 2012-13 season while rehabilitating.

The next year, he tore the meniscus in his right knee during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and underwent another season-ending surgery. During his final two seasons in Chicago, 2014-15 and 2015-16, he often resembled his former superstar self, but wasn't quite the same fast breaking scorer.

He was supplanted by rising teammate Jimmy Butler as the Bulls' de facto leader and best player.

"The way people've been creating statues, no, I do not want no statue," Rose joked, seemingly alluding to former Miami Heat rival Dwyane Wade's much-maligned new statue. "Jerry [Reinsdorf, Bulls majority owner], no statute, bro. Please, Michael [Reinsdorf, Jerry's son], no statue. And the jersey... being retired, I would love that. That would be my way of getting close to the top 75. And I'm only saying that because it relates to the MVP thing, where it's only a... small group that got that trophy back there."

During his Chicago tenure, Rose averaged 19.7 points on .448/.302/.813 shooting splits, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 0.8 steals, while appeared in 406 contests.

He subsequently bounced around the league as a far less athletic role player, with his game having transitioned to jump shooting and layups far below the rim. But he always struggled with his health. During stints with the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves (where he was temporarily reunited with Butler), Detroit Pistons, and finally the Memphis Grizzlies, Rose never appeared in more than 64 games. Across his last three seasons, he didn't play in more than 27.

Ahead of a Bulls-Knicks contest on Saturday, the city of Chicago celebrated January 4 as "Derrick Rose Day." Rose's longtime Chicago teammate and friend, former Defensive Player of the Year center Joakim Noah, was on hand for the festivities. Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke.

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Rose, 36, retired from the game ahead of this season. He had a player option to remain with Memphis.

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