If the Chicago Bulls want to honor Derrick Rose with a statue in the future, the guard has some concerns.
In an interview with ESPN on Friday, Rose said he would love to see his jersey retired. However, when asked if she thought she should get a statue, Rose was much more hesitant about the idea.
“The statues, the way people have been creating the statues, no, I don’t want any statues,” Rose told ESPN.
Rose was apparently addressing the bizarre Dwyane Wade statue, which was unveiled by the Miami Heat in October to much skepticism. Wade downplayed the jokes and said he didn’t care about people’s opinions.
Rose, however, cares enough to dissuade the Bulls organization from considering the option.
“Jerry, there’s no statue, brother. Please, Michael, there’s no statue,” Rose told ESPN, looking into the camera to address Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and president Michael Reinsdorf.
Rose was drafted first overall by the Bulls in 2008, and won Rookie of the Year in 2009. His time in Chicago was his longest and most successful: he was named league MVP in 2011 and earned three consecutive nominations. to the All-Star Game. from 2010 to 2012. Rose was traded by the Bulls in 2016 and spent the rest of his career bouncing between teams; He retired in 2024 after a 16-year career.
On Saturday, the Bulls will host “Derrick Rose Night” for their game against the New York Knicks. Both teams will wear warm-up jerseys in honor of Rose, and Chicago will unveil an atrium with memorabilia from the three-time All-Star’s career.
The Bulls currently have no plans to retire Rose’s jersey, but Rose said he would greatly appreciate the opportunity to cement his place in Bulls history.
“I would love for (my) jersey to be retired. That would be my way of getting closer to the Top 75, and I’m only saying that because it relates to the MVP,” Rose said. “It’s just a handful, a small group, that got that trophy there. And to think that that way of playing, Chicago’s way of playing, is not in that 75, it makes you think about it a little or question it a little” . bit.”
Chicago has retired four jersey numbers — Jerry Sloan’s No. 4, Bob Love’s No. 10, Michael Jordan’s No. 23 and Scottie Pippen’s No. 33 — in franchise history. The team also has banners hanging in the Bulls’ United Center honoring former coach Phil Jackson and former general manager Jerry Krause.