Chicago Bulls Set to Face Major Rival on Derrick Rose Jersey Retirement Game

The Chicago Bulls wanted to welcome Derrick Rose in a high-profile matchup for his jersey retirement

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) brings the ball up court against the Boston Celtics during the second half at United Center. The Bulls won 101-92. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls announced near the beginning of the year that they would be retiring Derrick Rose's jersey, hanging #1 in the rafters forever, unless his son were to become a Bull. It was a rare moment of competency for the Bulls, as they haven't made many great decisions for the last decade, but retiring the former MVP's number is a no-brainer.

Earlier this week, the Bulls announced that they would be retiring the jersey on January 24th. The opponent? An old rival of the Bulls: the Boston Celtics.

January 24, 2026 🌹

Join us for Derrick Rose Jersey Retirement Night when we officially add No. 1 to the United Center rafters. pic.twitter.com/WvuNMEwWkn

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 21, 2025

The Significance of the Matchup

Derrick Rose's first playoff series came against the Boston Celtics in 2009, pushing the reigning champions to seven games despite the Bulls being just the 7-seed. Rose came out of the gates firing with a game-high 36 points in a thrilling 105-103 win in Boston, and he'd go on to average 19.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 6.3 RPG in his first taste of the postseason.

There were a few connections between the teams at the Bulls hired Tom Thibodeau away from the Celtics, as he was an assistant coach on the '08 championship team. That added some extra flavor to those battles. Had Rose not suffered his career-altering injury in the 2012 playoffs, they would've played against the Celtics in the second round, and that would've been a thrilling battle.

Although the 2025-26 Celtics are a far cry from the Big Three Celtics with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and, by then, an already emerged Rajon Rondo, they are still one of the league's most well-known franchises and won a championship in 2024. Jayson Tatum will be out for the season, but that won't stop fans from showing up for this game.

Ticket Prices Surging For Derrick Rose's Honoring

Once the game became official, fans immediately rushed to markets to secure tickets for this game. There aren't many things to be excited about from the Bulls on paper, so this will be the moment everyone looks forward to this season.

Derrick Rose Jersey Retirement Night on 1/24/26 is most expensive Bulls home game on record @TickPick

Current get-in: $332

Ticket prices for this game have increased 126% from when the schedule was released at $147. pic.twitter.com/0tRbWCCcE4

— Kyle Zorn (@Kyle_Zorn) August 21, 2025

As of Friday evening, the cheapest ticket just to get in the door is $360 on TickPick, making it the most expensive Bulls game on record. Rose is one of Chicago's own, born and raised in the city, so this is something that will mean everything to him and the fanbase.

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