By Jacob Bugarin
The NBA announced that the Chicago Bulls are retiring former MVP Derrick Rose’s jersey. People may be asking, why are the Bulls doing this? Though Derrick Rose didn’t have the same career after tearing his ACL back in 2012, the impact he has had on Chicago is something that the city hasn’t seen since Micheal Jordan came to their team. Let’s go through the career of Derrick Rose in the NBA.
Rookie of the year: 2008-2009
With the first pick of the 2008 draft, the Chicago Bulls selected the future of their franchise, Derrick Rose. His rookie year was very special to the city of Chicago, showing his explosive playing style and being able to lead the Bulls to a 41-41 record and making the playoffs.
Derrick Rose and the Bulls played against the championship team in the Boston Celtics, led by Kevin Garrnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. They took the champs to a game 7 and lost to them 109-99. However, the future looked bright for Derrick Rose and his team. Rose won rookie of the year for the 2009 season.
Youngest MVP: 2010-2011
After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009-2010 season, Derrick Rose’s MVP season was something we may never see again. Although his stats may not look like MVP numbers—he had 25.0 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, and 4.1 rebounds a game—people just knew that he was the MVP when they watched him play. With his explosive style of play and powerful dunks that had everyone amazed, Rose and the Bulls were the best team in the Eastern Conference, going 62-20.
In the first two rounds of the playoff, Chicago was able to beat the Indiana Pacers (4-1) and the Atlanta Hawks (4-2). The conference finals was a different story, where Derrick Rose would play the Big 3 in the Miami Heat with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Ray Allen—all Hall of Fame players. Rose and his team would try to put up a fight, but fell short, losing to Miami (1-4). Even with losing to a super team, the Bulls team would aim to reach the Finals the next year.
The game that changed Derrick Rose career: 2011-2012
The Chicago Bulls went 50-16, and were first again in the Eastern Conference. This time, they played the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round on April 28, 2012. In the 4th quarter with 1:22 minutes to go, Rose drove to the basket and planted his knee. Right on the layup, he tore his ACL. His injury impacted the Bulls throughout the series. They lost (4-2) against the 76ers. Little did people know that this injury would change his whole career.
Injury plagued seasons-: 2013-2018
After recovering from his ACL tear, Derrick Rose had many injuries throughout his career—including tearing his meniscus—that had him traded from many teams. However, he would drop a career high of 50 points when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that he was never the same, but was a really good role player when playing for the other teams.
Role as a 6th man: 2019-2024
In the latter half of his career, Rose was coming off the bench and was able to score decent points in the Detroit Pistons, then the New York Knicks. After he was signed to a two-year contract to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he averaged 8.0 points per game, 3.2 assists per game, and 1.5 rebounds per game. Then, he was asked to be waived for the 2024-2025 season, and he announced his retirement.
Derrick Rose Impact of Chicago
Derrick Rose is one of the biggest “what if” players to ever play the game, but his impact on Chicago is something that no one ever forgets. Rose gave hope and loyalty to the franchise that the fans of Chicago will never forget. He brought electricity and hope that they hadn’t had since Michael Jordan. Though many wish that he never got hurt, the windy city of Chicago will always love Derrick Rose.
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