Former Milwaukee Bucks great Michael Redd posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday about how emotional he got seeing Derrick Rose see his jersey get lifted into the rafters of the United Center.
It is undeniable the impact that Derrick Rose had on the Chicago Bulls franchise, the city of Chicago, and the game of basketball as a whole during his time as a member of the Bulls. He still has a sizeable impact now, but it was a special time when Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history, giving the at-the-time 1-seeded Bulls more hope than they had possessed since the Michael Jordan Era.
Ahead of Rose's jersey retirement on January 24th, the Bulls allowed Rose, his family, and a small group of former teammates (Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson) to view his jersey retirement banner, which will soon be lifted into the rafters of the United Center amongst other all-time greats.
The moment was obviously a special one because of Rose getting to share it with his family, but his former teammates being there was a nice tough because of their importance to Rose's journey to greatness.
Kirk Hinrich had just ended his Bulls tenure ahead of Rose's MVP season, but the versatile guard served as an important veteran mentor during Rose's first two seasons in the league. Hinrich played both as Rose's backup and as a starting SG next to Rose over his final two seasons in Chicago.
Gibson and Noah were, of course, major fixtures in Rose's 2010-11 MVP season. Noah served as the emotional leader, stable defender, and capable playmaker, while Gibson's "do-the-dirty-work" mentality earned him 5th place in the Rookie of the Year race in 2009-10 season. During Rose's MVP season, the Bulls would go on to the lose the Eastern Conference Finals to the LeBron James-led Big Three Miami Heat. It still stands as the deepest postseason run the franchise has had since the title-winning days of the 1990s.
But if you needed more evidence to the great impact Rose had on the game, look no further than the positive reception his jersey retirement has received, especially from past rivals. Former Milwaukee Bucks great Michael Redd posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday about how emotional he got seeing Rose getting to witness the unveiling of his jersey retirement banner.
Redd, a former All-Star and All-NBA selection, played 12 years in the league (11 with Milwaukee), with his final year with the Bucks being Rose's MVP season. Derrick Rose's jersey being retired isn't just a big moment for Rose, or the city of Chicago, it's a big moment for anyone who has a love for the game of basketball and perseverance in the face of adversity.