CHICAGO — “MVP” chants bounced off the walls inside of a sold-out United Center, but it wasn’t for any of the current Chicago Bulls players or the visiting New York Knicks. Fans were on their feet as Bulls legend and Chicago native Derrick Rose walked out of the home tunnel at halftime of the Bulls’ 139-126 win over the Knicks Saturday night.
Rose has walked out of that tunnel 447 times in a Bulls jersey, but on Saturday he donned a black and red pinstripe suit as he stepped onto the court for Derrick Rose Night. Rose formally announced his retirement prior to the start of the season, and the Bulls wasted no time honoring the city’s favorite son, who was Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick in 2008 and played seven seasons with the team.
Several of Rose’s former teammates were on hand for the night’s festivities, including Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, as well as his college coach John Calipari. Noah gave an impassioned speech at halftime honoring Rose, bringing the Chicago native to tears as Noah led what was one of many “MVP” chants of the night.
“You’re not only the MVP, you’re the People’s Champ,” Noah said of Rose, who became the youngest MVP in NBA history at the age of 22.
Earlier in the day, the Bulls announced that the team would retire Rose’s No. 1 jersey next season, something he said he still hasn’t processed, but he certainly will at a later date..
“[Tonight] is about me giving everybody that’s in this room, everybody that was a part of the story, the journey, the good, the bad, the ugly. It’s celebrating everyone,” Rose said.
As the Bulls were giving Rose his flowers — both literally and metaphorically — for what he meant to the franchise, he in turn gave the city his thanks. In the days leading up to Rose’s celebration, the Chicago native could be seen around the city hosting a pop-up flower shop, playing at his alma mater Simeon Career Academy alongside his son in a pickup game and opening a community garden in his childhood neighborhood of Englewood.
“I understand, coming from Chicago that it’s tough love, you know, I mean, it’s a lot of tough love,” Rose said. “I was just telling my friends that you can forget about the the love sometimes, and just give toughness out. Coming back, me being raised off of that tough love, I just wanted to show the love. There’s toughness too, but you don’t gotta be tough all the time.”
Hosting “Derrick Rose Night” when the Knicks were in town was planned precisely so that the guy who coached Rose more than any other person in his career — current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau — could be in attendance. It also worked because Rose played four seasons over two different stints with the Knicks. So naturally, both the Bulls and Knicks players wore special shooting shirts that had “1.4.25” written across the chest to signify Rose’s three jersey numbers from the Bulls, Knicks and Simeon. It also just so happened to work out to the exact date the Bulls would be honoring Rose, which has now been officially deemed Derrick Rose day in Chicago.
Here’s a look at the full halftime ceremony from Saturday night.
“He’s probably the most beloved player in the league by everybody,” Thibodeau said. “We’re thrilled that he’s being honored.I always say the true measure of a man is how he handles adversity. And nobody did it better. He never stayed down. He always found a way to rise above and I’m thrilled for him, for the career he had. I think he’s Hall of Fame. There’s no question in my mind he’s a Hall of Fame player.”
During the halftime celebration, Rose spoke to the fans for nearly three minutes. He reflected on the expectations that followed him since he was in sixth grade, and called out the many highs and lows of his career before once again honoring his hometown.
“Thank you, Chicago,” he said. “For forcing me to be great.”
