Derrick Rose announced his retirement from basketball on Instagram yesterday, Sept. 26, after being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies and a sixteen year NBA career including eight years with the Chicago Bulls.

Rose was what the sports world refers to as a “hometown hero.” He grew up in the Chicagoland area and attended high school at Simeon Career Academy before being drafted first overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. 

The Bulls went into the draft with a 1.7% chance at the top pick, so Chicagoans did not expect a rookie of Rose’s caliber. Rose would go on to have a legendary stint with the Bulls, using his explosive dunks and unreal passing ability to lead the team to a 62-20 season in 2011. He did so while winning league MVP at 22 years old, the youngest in NBA history.

The Windy City Assassin was arguably the best player for the Bulls since Michael Jordan and his legendary double three-peat, so when his devastating ACL injury during the 2011-12 season occurred, the city of Chicago felt it.

Despite his departure from the team in 2017, Rose still holds a special place in Chicago’s heart to this day. Most notably, Chicago fans at the United Center gave Rose MVP chants while at the free throw line in Rose’s years with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Not only did Rose provide assists on the court, he did so off the court as well. Rose’s connection with the city ran deeper than basketball. In one instance, he donated $1 million to After School Matters, a charity based out of Chicago that provides teens opportunities beyond high school. He also created the Rose Scholars program which provides kids with college scholarships in Chicago. 

There’ve often been debates about whether Rose’s iconic number one should be hoisted up into the rafters of the United Center and retired for the Chicago Bulls. Some argue that because of his short-lived dominance, his career doesn’t warrant a jersey retirement; others argue that Rose’s significance goes beyond the years he played in Chicago, and that his cultural impact and dedication to the city should be rewarded with the achievement of jersey retirement.

A sense of bitter-sweetness swept over the city of Chicago when the retirement was announced, but overall, Rose’s career is one of the best in Chicago Bulls history. Rose captioned his post on Instagram with the following:

“My story was never just about me, it was about us.”