“From Chicago”: The Derrick Rose Story

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

With Chicago basketball icon Derrick Rose stepping away from the game, the Bulls wanted to celebrate his career and legacy alongside his fans, teammates and peers around the league. This 20-minute longform piece tells Derrick’s story from the viewpoint of those around him, featuring beloved teammates and coaches (Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, John Calipari), peers (LeBron James, Chris Paul) and other influential figures, who all sit down to reflect on one of the most unique careers and stories in NBA history. The video ends with a viscerally emotional goodbye, making a standalone case for why the Bulls announced they would be retiring his #1 jersey to the rafters forever.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

We strive to make consistently good content that is created with fans in mind. This piece maybe best encapsulates that approach. It’s a longform piece of content that celebrates a Bulls icon and one that we believe sets the standard for team-produced player storytelling. It was content fans searched out to find themselves. Scrolling through the Quotes on X reflects the overwhelmingly positive and emotional fan sentiment and engagement – “This is the kind of thing I want to make”, “I am in tears” and “Chicago sports teams know how to honor their own”.

It also shows the persistent value of long-form content in a modern era that is defined by short attention spans and immediate payoffs. It is every content creator’s dream to make something that results in this kind of engagement – in both the numbers and sentiment. This is one of the most successful longform videos the Bulls have ever created.

Objective

The objective was to pay respect to one of the great basketball players in Chicago history and thoughtfully and meaningfully tell his story. Derrick Rose is a native Chicagoan who joined the Bulls as the number one overall draft pick in 2008. In just his third season, Derrick also became the youngest MVP in NBA history while with the Bulls.

To honor his historic contributions to the Bulls, the city of Chicago and the sport of basketball, the Bulls wanted to do something different than the “typical” tribute video – to tell the whole story, not just a nicely framed piece that fit a desired narrative. We wanted to tell Derrick’s story without shying away from the injury that cut his prime years short and tell the story through those closest to Derrick. We wanted the piece to both revisit Derrick’s journey and serve as a celebratory, emotional goodbye to the on-court career of a living legend. The result was one of the most emotional pieces of content we have ever produced.

Strategy & Execution

In order to tell Derrick’s story from the eyes of those closest to him, it was imperative to select the right voices to discuss their memories and feelings. From rivals like LeBron James and Chris Paul to his friends and mentors in Tom Thibodeaux and Joakim Noah, we spanned across the basketball world to sit down with some of the biggest names in our sport and Derrick’s life. The resulting film is dripping with emotion and received the most visceral fan reaction to any long-form piece we have ever published. The last two minutes, in particular, universally evoked emotional responses and awe.

The piece was published on the morning of Derrick Rose Night, an in-person celebration of Derrick’s retirement from the NBA at the Chicago Bulls home game on Jan. 4, 2025. It was also the first content published the Bulls announced the decision to retire Derrick’s #1 jersey, making him only the fifth Bull to receive the honor. The film reinforces why Derrick will forever be a part of Chicago and basketball lore.

Organizations

• Chicago Bulls
• Derrick Rose and Team Derrick

Links

•   Website

Featured

• Derrick Rose
• LeBron James
• John Calipari
• Tom Thibodeaux
• James Johnson
• Chris Paul
• Joakim Noah
• Taj Gibson
• Kyle Korver
• Nazr Mohammed
• Luol Deng
• Ronnie Brewer
• Carlos Boozer
• Zach Lavine
• Jevon Carter
• Ayo Dosunmu

Credits

Susan Goodenow
EVP, Brand & Public Affairs
Chicago Bulls

Luka Dukich
VP, Content
Chicago Bulls

Brad Siegel
Executive Director, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Chris Ramirez
Director, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Joe Pinchin
Director, Digital Content
Chicago Bulls

Ian Beckley
Senior Producer, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Daniel Morley
Senior Editor, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Cait Hicks
Editor, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Daniel Charous
Production Manager, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Tucker Jacob
Production Manager, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Cheryl Wayte
Production Assistant, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Anya Kalfus
Production Assistant, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

TJ Freeby
Assistant Editor, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Katie Dietrick
Post Production Associate, BullsTV
Chicago Bulls

Jimmy Mitchell
Design Manager
Chicago Bulls

Sarah Smith
Executive Director, Marketing
Chicago Bulls

Kayla King
Manager, Brand & Fan Development
Chicago Bulls

Beth Esler
Director, Public Relations
Chicago Bulls

Nikko Tan
Senior Manager, Digital Content
Chicago Bulls