NBA Central

On the same day Derrick Rose will be honored by the Chicago Bulls for his achievements throughout his NBA career, the club announced plans to retire his jersey.

The Bulls announced Rose's No. 1 will be raised to the rafters at the United Center at some point during the 2025-26 season.

OFFICIAL: The Bulls will retire Derrick Rose's number during the 2025-26 NBA season. No other player will ever wear the number 1 for the Chicago Bulls.

Number 1 will always be from Chicago. pic.twitter.com/s7z3J030WA

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 4, 2025

The moment Pooh learned his number is officially going in the rafters 🥹 pic.twitter.com/D8JZjXhdtG

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 4, 2025

The Bulls quickly put together a celebration for Rose on Saturday, announcing "Derrick Rose Night" on Dec. 30.

Per the team's website, the event will "serve as a celebration of Derrick's retirement from the NBA, his memorable career and his contributions to the Bulls and the city of Chicago."

Speaking to ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday, Rose said he "would love" to have his jersey retired in part because it would help cement his legacy as an all-time great player.

"That would be my way of getting close to the Top 75, and I'm only saying that because it relates to the MVP," Rose said. "It's only a handful, a small group that got that trophy back there. And to think that way of playing, the Chicago way of playing, is not in that 75, it makes you think about it a little bit or question it a little bit."

Rose announced his retirement from the NBA after 16 seasons in September. The Chicago native spent his first eight years with the Bulls after being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft.

The addition of Rose was a transformative moment for a franchise that had started to find a new identity after a lull in the years after Michael Jordan's second retirement. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and was named an All-Star in his second season.

Rose became the youngest NBA MVP when he won the award as a 22-year-old during the 2010-11 season. He led the Bulls to the league's best record (62-20) and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.

A torn ACL suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers the following season altered the trajectory of Rose's career, but he did eventually carve out a niche as a role player.

Rose will be the fifth Bulls player to have his jersey retired by the club. He joins a group that includes Jordan (No. 23), Scottie Pippen (No. 33), Jerry Sloan (No. 4) and Bob Love (No. 10).

Derrick Rose "would love" to see his No. 1 jersey retired by the Chicago Bulls, but not to see his statue outside United Center.

"I would love that. That's more me if they would do it," Rose said when asked about jersey retirement by ESPN's Shams Charania.

"I would love that."

Derrick Rose says he wants his jersey retired by the Bulls ❤️

(via @ShamsCharania) pic.twitter.com/Kr9kTTHZFm

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 3, 2025

Rose then added in a plea to Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and CEO Michael Reinsdorf, according to Charania.

"The way people have been creating these statues, I don't want a statue," he said. "No statue. Jerry, no statue. Please, Michael, no statue."

Rose played seven seasons for the Bulls between 2008 and 2016. His 2024 retirement from the NBA is being celebrated by the Bulls ahead of Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks.

The Bulls and Knicks are honoring Rose's No. 1 on Saturday, albeit in a less official capacity, with shooting shirts worn by players on both teams.

The shirts will display the numbers "1.4.25," marking both the date and Rose's numbers with the Bulls, New York Knicks and as a high school player, according to the team.

The Bulls have retired just four players' numbers since the franchise's 1966 founding, most recently granting Scottie Pippen the honor in 2005.

Rose's number is already unofficially on that list, given that multiple Bulls players have received fan backlash for attempting to wear No. 1 since he left the franchise.

Michael Carter-Williams and Anthony Borrow both originally planned to wear No. 1 following trades to the Bulls during the 2016-17 season, and both ultimately cited fan controversy in their decisions to switch to other numbers.

Rose lived up to the hype surrounding his place atop the 2008 draft by winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year award in 2009.

He then became the youngest MVP in NBA history when he capped off his 2010-11 season by earning the honor at 22 years old.

After injuries including a 2012 ACL tear impacted his career, Rose was traded by the Bulls and went on to play for the Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies before announcing his retirement in September.

The Bulls are the most likely of all those teams to honor Rose's career following his retirement after 16 NBA seasons.

Perhaps because of the controversy surrounding the appearance of the Dwyane Wade sculpture recently installed outside the Miami Heat's Kaseya Center, Rose is hoping those honors don't include a statue.

The first fan voting returns for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game were revealed on Monday with a pair of former league MVPs leading the way.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leading vote-getter overall with more than 1,700,000 votes. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić isn't too far behind and leads the Western Conference with more than 1,400,000 votes. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum also earned nearly 1,400,000 votes. Here are the rest of the results:

Giannis and Jokic leading the first ballot returns of All Star voting. Remember, new format this year pic.twitter.com/GbgXvy6W9x

— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) January 2, 2025

Antetokounmpo has been on an absolute tear in his 11th season in Milwaukee, leading the NBA with a career-high 32.6 points per game while shooting 61.0 percent from the field and also adding 11.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4 blocks. He led the Bucks (17-14) to the NBA Cup championship, and he's motivated to add to his mantle later this year.

However, he's not the only former NBA MVP looking for some more hardware. Jokić has continued his incredible run of all-around brilliance while leading the Nuggets to a 19-13 record. He ranks third in the league with averages of 30.7 points and 13.0 rebounds and second with 9.7 assists. He's shooting 56.1 percent from the field and a blistering 49.2 percent from three-point range, by far the best mark of his career.

Tatum has been the driving force for the defending-champion Celtics, who rank second in the East with a 24-9 record. He leads Boston with 28.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while also adding 1.3 steals.

Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only guard in either conference to have earned over 1,000,000 votes. The 26-year-old has led the Thunder to first place in the West with a 27-5 record and ranks second in the league with an average of 31.3 points per game. He's also contributing 6.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks.

Voting for the 2025 All-Star Game will conclude on Jan. 20 at 11:59 p.m. ET and the starters for the game will be revealed on Jan. 23 during TNT's NBA Tip-Off before a doubleheader featuring the Bucks vs. the Miami Heat and the Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.

The format for this year's All-Star Game will be very different, as it will be a four-team tournament featuring three teams of eight NBA All-Stars and the winning team from the Rising Stars Game. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith will draft the three teams of All-Stars on Feb. 6. All-Star Weekend will kickoff on Feb. 14 and conclude with the All-Star Game on Feb. 16.

Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a broken fibula, the team announced:

The @DetroitPistons today provided the following medical update on guard Jaden Ivey: pic.twitter.com/CdZmWs4uzK

— Pistons PR (@Pistons_PR) January 2, 2025

Ivey will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

The guard suffered the injury in Wednesday's 105-96 win over the Orlando Magic, while ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the diagnosis of a broken fibula.

Ivey, who had a team-high 22 points along with four assists, was stretchered off in the fourth quarter following a collision with the Magic's Cole Anthony.

Jaden Ivey left game in stretcher after apparent leg injury. Hope he's ok 🙏 pic.twitter.com/tBiVOScskm

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 2, 2025

Ivey took to social media after Charania's report, promising to "come back even better."

I promise to come back even better. The recovery starts now #DetroitBasketball https://t.co/gdafJvH7WS

— Jaden Ivey (@JadensIV) January 2, 2025

The concern for the 2022 first-round pick was apparent on the court and in what said after the game.

"It's tough on all of us," Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per the Detroit News' Coty M. Davis. "No better teammate, person, than J.I. No one cares more about this thing than him. It's tough to see."

Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also called it "devastating."

"My prayers go out to him, and I hope he makes a full recovery and gets back healthy," he said. "Ivey is a great player. He was playing well tonight and unfortunately, that happened. We're all just praying for him."

The injury comes as Ivey was finding his groove in the Motor City following two inconsistent years to open his NBA career. Through 30 games, he was averaging 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists, and he was setting personal bests in field-goal percentage (46.0) and three-point percentage (40.9).

His development was a hugely positive sign for the Pistons, whose 15 wins already exceed their total from all of last year.

It's unclear how much time the 22-year-old will miss, but it's safe to assume he'll be out for most or all of what's left in the regular season. The focus for he and the Pistons will be on working toward his return in 2025-26.

Ivey has a $10.1 million club option before he's eligible for restricted free agency in 2026.

Detroit Pistons point guard Jaden Ivey was stretchered off during the Pistons' game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Magic guard Cole Anthony dove for a loose ball and collided with Ivey's legs, causing Ivey to fall to the ground while clutching his left leg. He exited the court with his left leg wrapped.

Sending prayers to Jaden Ivey, who was stretchered off in the 4th quarter after suffering an apparent leg injury. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mvaetcRgL7

— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) January 2, 2025

Both teams gathered around the stretcher as Ivey was loaded onto it and taken off the court.

Little Caesars Arena in Detroit went silent as fans watched the scene unfold, before breaking into chants of "Ivey" to show their support.

LCA chants “IVEY” as Jaden Ivey is helped onto stretcher after a scary ankle injury

Ivey left the game early in the 4th, : 8/11 22pts. pic.twitter.com/1HTGoylQYK

— Bruce (@thrownofff) January 2, 2025

Before his exit in the fourth quarter, Ivey played 27 minutes, recording 22 points, four assists and one steal.

Ahead of Wednesday's game, Ivey was having a career year with Detroit, averaging 17.4 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists, while knocking down 39 percent of his three-point attempts per game.

The 22-year-old was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of Purdue and earned a starting spot with the Pistons in his rookie season, starting 73 games and playing in 74.

There is "growing pessimism" that Chicago Bulls would be willing to trade star shooting guard Zach LaVine to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a a package built around Michael Porter Jr., according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

Per Scotto, Chicago "doesn't want to absorb" the four-year, $32 million contract of Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji as part of the potential deal and the Bulls also aren't interested in using additional assets to flip Nnaji to a third team.

Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Dec. 17 that Denver put "significant" focus on landing LaVine.

The Nuggets are currently above the first apron and can't take back more salary than they send out in a trade, meaning that they'd need to add to Porter's $35.8 million salary in order to match LaVine's 2024-25 salary of $43 million. Nnaji fits the bill, but Chicago doesn't appear interested in the remaining three years of his contract.

Scotto noted on Tuesday that there are also "internal questions" surrounding LaVine's fit next to Jamal Murray in Denver's backcourt.

The Nuggets have opened the year with a modest 18-13 record, a relatively slow start after coming off 57 wins last season. They could approach the trade deadline in search of an offensive option to take pressure off Murray and superstar Nikola Jokić, making it easy to see why they'd be interested in LaVine.

In 28 starts with the Bulls this season, he's averaging 22.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 49.9/44.7/81.4 shooting splits.

ZACH LAVINE COULDN’T BE STOPPED AND DROPPED 18 (6 THREES) IN THE 4TH 😤 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5lZStJqmLm

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 19, 2024

LaVine's defense next to Murray could be a concern, as Denver already ranks No. 19 in defensive rating to open its 2024-25 campaign (via NBA.com).

The Nuggets and Bulls will have more time to work out a deal prior to the Feb. 6 deadline, but there seems to be a growing belief that an agreement involving LaVine and Porter may not be reached.

Rival NBA teams are reportedly keeping an eye on the "longer term" possibility that an early playoff exit this spring could lead the Milwaukee Bucks to consider a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps.

The Bucks have not made it back to the Eastern Conference Finals since winning the 2021 title and have been bounced from the first round for two straight seasons.

Despite coaching turnover and a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard last fall, the Bucks won just a single playoff game last spring with Antetokounmpo sidelined by injury.

According to Bontemps, other NBA teams are now watching to see the Bucks' next move should Lillard and Antetokounmpo suffer another first-round exit this spring.

The Bucks head into Friday ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference through an up-and-down campaign to this point that has seen Antetokounmpo express frustration with his team after a 2-8 start to the campaign.

But Milwaukee has since stabilized at 16-13, putting the team back into a projected playoff spot and leading to a Dec. 5 report by The Athletic's Sam Amick that the Bucks have so far rebuffed teams interested in Antetokounmpo.

Given the lofty expectations for the Bucks' star duo, however, it seems likely nothing short of a long playoff run will completely quiet the trade rumors.

Antetokounmpo is under contract for at least two more seasons and could add a third season with his player option for 2027-28.

According to Spotrac, he will earn $54 million next season, an amount that will tie him with Lillard for the fifth-most lucrative annual salary in the NBA.

For now, the Bucks will focus on getting their two stars healthy and back in the lineup. Both Antetokounmpo and Lillard have missed multiple games with illness and injury and remain questionable heading into Saturday's matchup with the Chicago Bulls.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and some of his Milwaukee Bucks teammates weren't thrilled to learn they have Christmas Day off this year.

Antetokounmpo told The Athletic's Eric Nehm he was initially "pissed" about the Bucks' omission from Wednesday's slate, since the holiday serves as a showcase for the NBA's best teams and biggest stars.

It didn't take too long for the two-time MVP to see the bigger picture, though, since he'll now have all of Christmas Day to spend with his family.

"Like, you don't take it for granted because like, LeBron (James) plays, Steph (Curry) plays, all of these big-time players play in Christmas games all the time in their career and they miss valuable moments," he said. "Like, we miss so much valuable moments from our lives and I'm a person that I try to not take things for granted. And if this is how it should be, this is how it should be."

His frustration at first was shared by other Bucks players.

Big man Brook Lopez called it "disrespectful," while forward Bobby Portis said it was "disappointing. That's the same wording three-time All-Star Khris Middleton used, though he, like, Giannis came around to see it as a positive.

"We always want to play on Christmas. It's the biggest day in the NBA besides the playoffs and the Finals and whatnot," Middleton said. "But I have a family now and kids, so now I can have a chance to open gifts without having to work the same day, so I'm definitely happy about that. But hopefully we won't have too many more Christmases where we don't play again."

The Bucks were coming off a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers when the NBA made its 2024-25 schedule. Despite boasting Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee faced questions over whether it could seriously challenge for a title.

Those concerns haven't gone away despite the franchise lifting the NBA Cup.

At 15-12, the Bucks are fifth in the Eastern Conference and nine games behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers.

Should their NBA Cup run be a sign of what's to come, though, a deep postseason run might unfold down the road, and in that case, Milwaukee will have a pretty good idea of its plans on Christmas Day 2025.

The Milwaukee Bucks struggled mightily without Damian Lillard on Friday night.

With Lillard ruled out due to a calf strain, the Bucks suffered a lopsided 124-101 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Back home tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/zOrrvPRKr7

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 21, 2024

Head coach Doc Rivers' team fell into an early 17-8 hole and couldn't recover, as Cleveland led by 18 at the half due to a 40-point second quarter.

The Cavaliers shot 51 percent from the field as a team, hitting 20 of their 47 three-point attempts. The Bucks had issues with ball security, committing 20 turnovers compared to 23 assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds to go along with three steals, but no other member of Rivers' rotation scored at least 15 points.

Giannis throws down the oop with one hand. pic.twitter.com/1W4zWg9jlX

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 21, 2024

While Cleveland owns the best record in the association at 24-4, it was still a disappointing result for Milwaukee following the team's 2024 NBA Cup victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Fans called out Rivers and the Bucks.

Doc Rivers might run out of timeouts in the first half with the way the Bucks are getting back in transition defense.

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) December 21, 2024

Horrible game by the Bucks so far. Safe to say Doc Rivers is unhappy, as he just used two timeouts less than 75 seconds apart.

— Bucks Film Room (@BucksFilmRoom) December 21, 2024

The Bucks really sold lol

— Brian Spaulding Jr (@Bspauld12) December 21, 2024

Bucks get blown out by the Cavaliers, it’s a “letdown” game. They didn’t show up tonight and got worked over post NBA Cup competition against a really, really good team in Cleveland.

It’s time to get back to it tomorrow quick and bounce back against a lesser opponent: Wizards.

— Ben Sig (@sig_50) December 21, 2024

Bucks getting boat raced tonight was not on my bingo card

— Lance P (@LancePiep) December 21, 2024

doc rivers bad at coaching

— LETS GO GRIZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (48-34) (@will_edmunds04) December 21, 2024

I don't comment much on NBA but I gotta say that the Milwaukee Bucks played atrocious tonight and should be embarrassed.

— Nationalize Blizzard👓 (@CallMeGdubG) December 21, 2024

Donovan Mitchell led the way for Cleveland, finishing with 27 points and six assists on 9-15 shooting. He also connected on three of his seven attempts from behind the arc.

SPIDA SHOW TO END THE 1H 😈

Lob to Mobley for the HUGE slam... to the steal and slam of his own! pic.twitter.com/yZxuWGAnTO

— NBA (@NBA) December 21, 2024

Friday represented the third time this season that the Bucks and Cavs have met, with Cleveland winning all three matchups.

Milwaukee will attempt to bounce back against the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET.

The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly aren't planning to use a Khris Middleton trade in order to circumvent the trade restrictions levied by their position above the second apron.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported that the Bucks "have zero interest in trading Khris Middleton at this time."

The Bucks are not allowed to aggregate salary in a trade due to their $207 million payroll, which leaves them $6.5 million above the restrictive second apron.

Given that Milwaukee is unlikely to move on from their star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, trading Middleton and his $31.7 million cap hit for the season is the only viable route for the Bucks to make any major trades before the Feb. 6 deadline.

Middleton was sidelined for the first 21 games of the season after undergoing surgery on both ankles this offseason. He returned on Dec. 6 and has averaged 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals while coming off the bench in four games since.

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal recently said that the Bucks were willing to trade Middleton in 2023 in an attempt to acquire Beal from the Washington Wizards, but Milwaukee could be taking a different stance on Middleton this season for multiple reasons.

For one, Middleton's trade value could be impacted by both his recent return from injury and the chance he could walk this spring rather than taking his 2025-26 player option.

For another, since the Bucks ended up acquiring Lillard rather than Beal, Middleton is a good fit on the wing alongside the Bucks' star duo.

The Bucks are willing to listen to offers on Pat Connaughton, MarJon Beauchamp and potentially Bobby Portis, according to Siegel. Those options would prevent Milwaukee from bringing in any major contracts the other way, but it sounds like the reigning NBA Cup winners would prefer to stick with Middleton than make a splash at the deadline this winter.