CHICAGO (AP) 鈥� Derrick Rose wasn't sure how he will feel when sees his No. 1 hanging from the rafters. He was still trying to process the news.
The Chicago Bulls announced Saturday they plan to retire Rose's jersey sometime next season. The Chicago product and MVP will join Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Jerry Sloan (4) and Bob Love (10) as the only players whose numbers have been retired by the team.
, telling him 鈥渘obody鈥檚 wearing that No. 1 jersey again鈥� unless son PJ plays for the team. Rose, who retired in September after 16 seasons, was already scheduled to be honored with tributes before and during their game against the New York Knicks that night. The Bulls said they will have more details about the jersey retirement at a later date.
鈥淭onight is not about that,鈥� Rose said. He said it was about showing appreciation for 鈥渆verybody that was a part of the story, the journey, the good, the bad, the ugly.鈥�
鈥淚t's celebrating everyone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 understand coming from Chicago that it's tough love. It's a lot of tough love. You could forget about the love sometimes and just give toughness. Coming back, me being raised off of that tough love, I just wanted to show the love part. There's toughness, too, but you don't have to be tough all the time. It's understanding and realizing why I'm here.鈥�
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement: 鈥淒errick is both a hometown hero and a symbol of an entire era of Bulls basketball."
On Saturday, the Bulls unveiled the 鈥淒errick Rose Experience鈥� in the United Center鈥檚 atrium showcasing memorabilia from his career. Players on both teams wore themed shooting shirts displaying 鈥�1.4.25鈥� symbolizing the date as well as the numbers he wore with the Bulls, Knicks and at Chicago's Simeon Career Academy. Black T-shirts emblazoned with a red rose were at each seat. There were to be moments throughout the game recognizing Rose, his family and teammates.
At halftime, Rose walked out to those familiar 鈥淢VP! MVP!鈥� chants after a highlight video played. He took a seat next to his mom, Brenda. He broke down when former teammate Joakim Noah told him he 鈥渁lways put your city on your back鈥� and said he's 鈥渢he people's champ.鈥� Another video narrated by PJ was shown before Rose addressed the crowd.
鈥淪o well deserved,鈥� New York's Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in his prime with the Bulls as well as in New York and Minnesota, said before the game. 鈥淔or what he means to the city, the Bulls, the entire NBA. I had the opportunity to coach against him, so I know how difficult that is. I had the good fortune to coach him. You see in looking in the eyes of the opponent, when they had to guard him you could see the fear and the respect.鈥�
Thibodeau said Rose 鈥� known for his humility almost as much as his explosiveness 鈥� was 鈥減robably the most beloved player in the league." He also said he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, went from being Rookie of the Year to an All-Star to NBA MVP in his first three seasons. He remains the league's youngest MVP, winning it when he was 22.
A major knee injury during the 2012 playoffs forced him to miss almost two full seasons and he contemplated stepping away from the game several times following other injury issues.
Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular-season games. He averaged 21 points per game before the ACL tear 12 years ago and 15.1 per game in the seasons that followed. But he insisted he doesn't think about what might have been if not for the injuries.
鈥淭he last time I had those conversations was years and years ago," he said. 鈥淲ho knows? But at the same time, with me being obsessed, I wouldn't have found out who I was as a person. I was obsessed with the game. Not love, I was obsessed. If I would have won one championship, I would have wanted four. And that would have pulled me further and further away from finding self-knowledge, self-revelation, my identity. Everybody's story is different. For some reason, mine ended being this way. Coming from Chicago, we roll with the punches.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press
