Ceremony to be held on January 25! Rose previews Bulls jersey retirement banner with three former teammates present

On January 24 Beijing time, the Chicago Bulls official shared a video showing Derrick Rose visiting in advance the Bulls jersey retirement banner that will be raised tomorrow (January 25) in the arena’s honor banner area. Accompanying him were three former teammates: Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Kirk Hinrich.

The video shows Rose entering the arena, looking at the banner with the “No. 1 Rose” jersey, and excitedly exclaiming “Wow, wow.” Soon after, his family and the three teammates also entered the arena to join Rose in previewing the ceremony and eagerly anticipating the jersey retirement event tomorrow.

Currently on a three-game winning streak, the Bulls will face the Celtics in tomorrow’s game. Without a doubt, this matchup at the United Center is highly anticipated. But frankly, neither the fans inside the arena nor the entire city of Chicago are truly focused on the game itself.

The team from Boston is merely serving as a backdrop for the tribute to Chicago’s local legend — Bulls great and 2011 NBA MVP Rose is about to witness his iconic No. 1 jersey raised high above the arena, forever enshrining him in franchise history. This is the real centerpiece of tomorrow’s game.

It is reported that former coach Thibodeau is also expected to return to Chicago; Bulls legends from past and present players will gather together, all coming for Rose.

The emotions that will surge at that moment are likely beyond words to describe.

Rose attended Simeon Career Academy in high school and was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2007. Later, all Chicago fans watched Rose play for the University of Memphis before being selected by the Bulls as the number one overall pick in the draft and quickly rising to become one of the league’s top stars.

At the end of the 2010-11 season, Rose was named the youngest regular-season MVP in NBA history, although that year his Bulls lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to LeBron James-led Miami Heat.

Rose was like a brilliant meteor streaking across the Chicago sky, shining brightly for four seasons before suddenly falling — during the 2012 playoffs, he suffered a devastating ACL tear. In his final four seasons with the Bulls, he had occasional highlights but never regained his peak form.

Yet in the hearts of countless Chicago fans, Rose has long transcended the sport of basketball itself.