Undoubtedly, the love for Derrick Rose is widespread the Chicago Bulls prepare to retire his jersey on Saturday. First, he received a personal message from Michael Jordan. Then, that was followed by similar recognition from Scottie Pippen.

“Derrick, congratulations,” Pippen said. “You represent what it means to be a Chicago Bull. Thank you for believing in this city. Thank you for giving everything you had, and thank you for inspiring the next generation. Once a Bull, always a Bull. Congratulations, my brother. Come on up with me.”

Jordan and Pippen are two out of four Chicago players to have their jersey retired. The other two are Jerry Sloan and Bob Love. The jersey retirement ceremony, bringing these legends together in spirit, is to take place at the conclusion of the game against the Boston Celtics.

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On October 4, 1988, Rose was born in Engelwood. Essentially, he grew up during the height of the 1990s dynasty. Later, he would attend Simeon Academy and the University of Memphis. In 2008, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls.

The following year, Rose was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. Two years later, Rose was named the NBA MVP. In the process, the Bulls went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In 1987, Pippen was drafted from the University of Central Arkansas. He then played a crucial role in the Bulls' dynasty and is recognized as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players. In 1999, he was traded to the Houston Rockets before joining the Portland Trail Blazers later that year, where he played until 2003.

After playing with Portland, Pippen returned to Chicago for one final season in 2003-2004.