The roses in the Wind City never fade! The Bulls officially announced that the Rose jersey has retired and youth is over

On August 22, the Bulls' official social media announced that it will retire Derek Rose's jersey in the Bulls' match against the Celtics on January 24, 2026. Ross will become the sixth player in the Bulls' history to be retired. The top five are Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10), Jordan (No. 23), Pippen (No. 33) and Russell (No. 6, retired from the league)

In 1988, Ross was born in the Ingwood District, southern Chicago, a neighborhood shrouded by violence and poverty. At the age of 19, he entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick and became the first No. 1 pick in the Bulls history since Jordan retired. In his rookie season, he averaged 16.8 points and 6.3 assists per game, winning the best rookie. In 2011, at the age of 22, he was crowned the youngest regular season MVP in NBA history with an average of 25 points and 7.7 assists per game, leading the Bulls to a record of 62 wins and 20 losses, pushing the Bulls in the "post-Jordan era" to the top of the league again

How strong is Ross' peak?

In the 2010-11 season, Ross averaged 25.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists per game, helping the Bulls achieve a league-first record of 62 wins and 20 losses. In the history of the Bulls, only two players can score 25+5 assists, one is Rose and the other is basketball god Jordan. In the playoffs, Ross led the team to eliminate the Pacers and the Hawks and met the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Ross averaged 23.4 points and 5.6 assists in the series

As the only player in NBA history to win a regular season MVP in his rookie season, the league added a new terms of the labor agreement and introduced the "Ross Terms" to enable outstanding young players who qualify for the team's salary cap earlier. Three conditions for Ross' terms: ① Become an MVP during his rookie contract, ② twice selected for the All-Star starting lineup, ③ twice selected for the

We can say that Ross' peak period is not long enough, but we can never say that Ross' peak period is not long enough

On April 28, 2012, the 24-year-old Ross tore his left knee in the first round of the playoffs against the 76ers. At this moment, the United Center fell into silence. In the following 10 years, he underwent four major knee surgeries and went to the Knicks, Cavaliers, Timberwolves and other teams, but he was always close to the court. In September 2024, 35-year-old Ross announced his retirement and ended his 16-year career. He admitted: "The gifts given to me by basketball are far beyond expectations, and my story is always about making Fengcheng proud." After retiring, he did not stay away from basketball - in 2025, he started his trip to China and said goodbye to fans with 1V1 percent battles; he wrote a long article, turning his scarred knees into "armor of fatherly love", just to tell his children: "Go forward bravely in difficulties"

And now with the Bulls officially announced their retirement of the Ross jersey, we can also officially summarize Ross' career

Conclusion: The story of the Ross is far more touching than the victory or defeat

Derek Ross' career is an epic full of regrets. Although he failed to add another championship to Chicago, and even never stepped onto the stage of the finals, it was this unfinished regret that made his story more realistic - the heroes do not have to be perfect, and the figure who can still stand up after falling is the hottest footnote to the sports spirit.

When the dome of the United Center is hanging high, the story of Wind City will always be remembered: the boy who walked out of the slum once used his loneliness to ignite the basketball belief in the entire city.