Derrick Rose would ‘love’ to have Bulls jersey retired

CHICAGO — Ahead of being honored by the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, Derrick Rose said he’d like to see his jersey hanging from the rafters at the United Center someday.

“I would love that,” Rose told ESPN in a sit-down interview in Chicago, where he was born and raised, and spent eight seasons with his hometown Bulls. “That’s more me if they would do it.”

No Bulls player has worn Rose’s iconic No. 1 in a game since he was traded to the New York Knicks in 2016. Chicago issued the number to Michael Carter-Williams and Anthony Morrow, but both switched to a different number after fan backlash.

Rose, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft, won Rookie of the Year honors in 2008-09. Two seasons later he became the youngest MVP in NBA history at 22 years old, leading the Bulls to 62 wins, the top seed in the Eastern Conference and their first Eastern Conference finals trip since Michael Jordan retired.

However, a year later, Rose suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the opening game of the 2012 playoffs, causing him to miss the entire 2012-13 season. He returned the following season and had a memorable highlight in 2015, making a buzzer-beater in the playoffs to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but never returned to All-Star status.

Rose said he believes that having his number retired, along with his other accolades, would cement his place in league history.

“That would be my way of getting close to the Top 75, and I’m only saying that because it relates to the MVP,” Rose said. “It’s only a handful, a small group that got that trophy back there. And to think that way of playing, the Chicago way of playing, is not in that 75, it makes you think about it a little bit or question it a little bit.”

Rose finished his career with 12,573 points and 3,770 assists in 723 games across 15 seasons. In addition to his time with the Bulls, he also played with the Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Bulls have retired four numbers in franchise history: Jerry Sloan’s No. 4, Bob Love’s No. 10, Michael Jordan’s No. 23 and Scottie Pippen’s No. 33. They also have banners hanging that honor former coach Phil Jackson and former general manager Jerry Krause.

The Bulls are hosting Derrick Rose Night during Saturday’s game against the Knicks. Both teams will wear shooting shirts honoring Rose in pregame warmups, and the team will unveil the Derrick Rose Atrium Experience, spotlighting unique memorabilia from Rose’s career. The Bulls have not announced any plans to retire Rose’s number.

And while Rose says he hopes that will happen someday, there is one honor he is not interested in.

“The way people have been creating these statues, I don’t want a statue,” he said. “No statue. Jerry [Reinsdorf], no statue. Please, Michael [Reinsdorf], no statue.”