Derrick Rose still feels the love from Bulls fans at the United Center

CHICAGO – It’s become a bit of a tradition at the United Center when a native of the city returns to face his former team.

Derrick Rose has had a strong following of fans in Chicago from his days as a high school star to one year in college and, of course, his tenure with the Bulls.

The appreciation for his accomplishments by those in Chicago showed up once again on Friday night when the Knicks guard got into the game against his former team.

With New York leading by 28 points, Rose was put into the game by his former coach in Chicago and current Knicks leader Tom Thibodeau.

When he came onto the floor, the guard was met with a standing ovation from the crowd who continued to cheer through a free throw that was being shot when he checked in.

During that time, fans also started with “M-V-P” chants for the guard, who won that award while he was a member of the Bulls.

This has been a rather common occurrence for Rose who has had similar welcomes when a few times he’s returned to the United Center as a member of an opposing team after he was traded to New York in the summer of 2016.

A star at Simeon High School and one year at Memphis, Rose played seven memorable seasons with the Bulls where he was a three-time All-Star, 2008-2009 NBA Rookie of the Year, 2010-2011 NBA MVP. He was the leader of a team that experienced its greatest success in the post-Michael Jordan era, including an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2011.

Serious knee injuries caused Rose to miss the 2012 NBA Playoffs, the entire 2012-2013 season, and a majority of the 2013-2014 season. After two more seasons with the Bulls, Rose was traded to the Knicks and has bounced around a bit since, playing for the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Pistons, and then back to New York since the middle of the 2021-2022 season.

Rose has been in a bench role this season but recently fell out of Thibodeau’s rotation with the Knicks. In his four minutes on Friday night, he had three points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field.