Jan. 4, 2025 was one of the best days of my life. In case you do not know, it was the first ever Derrick Rose Day — in Chicago. He is considered by many Chicago Bulls fans as one of the greatest players in team history. 

The Bulls commemorated Rose at the Knicks vs. Bulls game on Jan. 4. This day could only have been made better if Rose’s jersey was retired. 

The Bulls did say that his jersey will be retired next season. Why didn’t the Bulls just retire his jersey that night?

Rose was born and raised in Chicago and he helped lead the Bulls to lots of playoff games. The 2010s felt unreal and close to Michael Jordan’s era where Jordan won six championships. 

Rose announced his retirement on Sept. 26, and the Bulls announced a Derrick Rose night on Oct. 11. Many fans assumed that Rose’s jersey would be retired because of his reputation in Chicago. But many also wondered if his jersey should be retired since he never won any championships. 

While that is a fair thought, Jerry Sloan and Bob Love, other Bulls legends who never won a championship, have their numbers retired. 

I personally think the front office did not want to retire his jersey until they received criticism for the lack of an announcement. Even though fans have talked about Rose since the day he was drafted, the front office — more specifically Jerry Reinsdorf — often ignores fan sentiment.

Like many people, I am not the biggest fan of Jerry Reinsdorf, who has been the Bulls owner since 1985. He did help make the Bulls in the late 1980s up to the late 1990s — who won six championships within eight years — but he also tore up that team, which was mentioned in “The Last Dance.” Charles Barkley even said that Reinsdorf broke up the 1990s Bulls because he “didn’t want to pay anybody.” 

The Bulls have only retired four jerseys: Scottie Pippen, Jordan, Sloan and Love. They are one of 11 NBA teams with five or fewer retired jerseys. 

While it does take some time to consider whether a player’s jersey should be retired or not, 19 NBA teams have six or more jerseys retired. Some teams have even retired special jerseys for coaches or managers who meant a lot to the organization. 

The Bulls have had lots of controversy with other players’ jerseys who fans feel should have been retired — Norm Van Lear, Chet Walker, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Horace Grant, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah and so on. 

I am thankful that the Bulls front office decided to retire such an important player’s jersey. Rose went through a lot with the Bulls and helped create a special spark that I have not seen in a while. You will definitely see me at Rose’s jersey retirement, even though I will probably have to spend an arm and a leg. 

Related Stories:

• Peyton’s Power Hour: Derrick Rose’s retirement 
• DePaul men’s basketball falls to UConn on New Year’s Day, Enright shines 
• DePaul women’s basketball suffers a loss against Marquette 

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