For their matchup against the Knicks on Saturday, the Chicago Bulls are honoring Derrick Rose in a touching tribute following his official retirement. As fans and analysts everywhere come together to honor Rose, Bulls commentator Stacey King made a bold comparison between the former NBA point guard and the GOAT of basketball himself, Michael Jordan.
“If he never goes down, he retires a Bull,” King said via the Athletic. “If he stays healthy and on the trajectory he was going on, he’s Michael Jordan… If they don’t put him in the Hall of Fame, it’s an injustice. When he was healthy, there was nothing like him.”
To compare Rose with Michael Jordan might be seen as blasphemy in the eyes of some fans, but King believes that Rose was a step above the typical NBA superstar. During his run with the Bulls, he had a certain way of leading the team and representing his brand which brought the best out of everyone.
“That kid was not only a special player, but he was a special person,” King said. “People who don’t know him might think something differently. But I guarantee you this: If you ask anybody who knows him or played with him, they’ll never have a bad word to say about him. That’s rare for a superstar.”
Bulls legend Michael Jordan is unmatched in terms of achievements. As a 6x champion, 5x MVP, and 10x scoring leader, he’s widely regarded as the greatest player ever by fans and experts alike. Derrick Rose never came close to matching Michael’s achievements but he had the entire city cheering him on just like MJ did throughout the 90s.
Now that it’s all said and done, the Bulls are taking the opportunity to reflect on Rose’s career and express gratitude for what he was able to accomplish for them.
Rose, 36, announced his retirement from the NBA in September of 2024. The former NBA point guard played for 15 years as a pro, averaging 17.4 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game on 45.6% shooting. He played for various teams in his career, including the Bulls, Knicks, Pistons, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Cavaliers.
Of course, Rose’s best stretch was his stint in Chicago from 2008-2016. After getting drafted 1st overall, Rose proved himself right away as the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2009. Just two seasons later, he made history with the Bulls as the youngest MVP ever with averages of 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on 44.5% shooting.
His early years with the Bulls were some of the best in the franchise’s recent history and the entire city was celebrating his status as one of the best guards in the NBA. Since he was still so young at the time, Bulls fans thought that they’d have plenty of time to help their superstar capture a championship.
Unfortunately, injuries derailed Derrick’s career and things were never the same again. It was the 2011-12 campaign where things started to go downhill and Rose played just 39 games that season with several nagging injuries.
Derrick was eventually let go by the Bulls and he bounced around for years until he retired this past fall. To this day, Rose’s career remains one of the biggest “what-ifs” in basketball history and it’s something that Bulls fans still think about all the time.
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