Chicago is honoring native son and retired NBA star Derrick Rose ahead of his jersey retirement ceremony this week — and he is giving a preview of his life here after his legendary basketball career.
The Bulls are retiring Rose’s jersey during Saturday night’s game against the Boston Celtics at the United Center. Rose’s No. 1 will be the fifth number retired by the team after Jerry Sloan’s 4, Bob Love’s 10, Michael Jordan’s 23 and Scottie Pippen’s 33.
Tickets for Saturday night’s highly anticipated game and jersey retirement ceremony start at $199.
To mark the jersey retirement, Rose has been front and center in the city, where he has been honored in a variety of ways: a mural unveiling, the return of his flower shop and a coming retail collection.
Rose, an Englewood native who moved back to Chicago in his retirement, described these new ventures as exploring a side of him that basketball couldn’t express. They are a preview of sorts to his life post-basketball, he said Friday at a mural dedication in his honor.
“You can’t put any boundaries on me. I don’t see any boxes, and I never want to be held down,” Rose said. “Basketball was holding me back in a way where, creative-wise, I was put into a box.”
Here are four ways the city and the Bulls are honoring Rose ahead of his jersey retirement.
On Friday, the Bulls and After School Matters unveiled a mural, “Home Court of Dreams,” dedicated to Rose at the after-school program’s new teen center at 1065 N. Orleans St. in Cabrini-Green.
The NBA team contributed to the center’s capital campaign, according to team officials. Artist Dwight White worked with After School Matters’ students to create the mural depicting children in Bulls apparel, the city skyline and Rose’s Flower Shop — another recent development by the NBA star — all presented over a blanket of clouds and roses.
In addition to the mural, students of After School Matters created art dedicated to Rose that will be displayed in the atrium of the United Center on Rose’s jersey retirement night Saturday.
The art, which was previewed at the mural unveiling, depicts images from Rose’s career and history in Chicago, including a painting of him accepting the NBA MVP award.
Last week, Rose announced the return of Rose’s Flower Shop, an online flower pop-up business. Marketed as being family-owned and -operated, the shop launched with a video of Rose, his children, wife, mother and others working in a shop setting.
The online shop accepts orders on Sundays and delivers the bouquets via FedEx. It primarily offers 12-stem bouquets of roses of various colors, including Chicago red, a white color titled “Morning on Michigan” and an orange “Summertime Chi” color. Bouquets sell for $90.
On Tuesday, the Bulls announced an exclusive, co-branded retail collection with Rose, titled The Rose Collection, featuring items including a hoodie, letterman jacket and several shirts. Items will be available starting Saturday in the United Center’s Madhouse Team Store at the stadium’s east atrium.
Prices for items range from $40 for a basketball up to $350 for letterman jackets. Items will be available in limited quantities when the United Center opens to the public 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, and the entire collection becomes available in-store and online when gates open 5 p.m. that day.
Learn more on the Rose Collection at shop.bulls.com.
