On a night that was all about honoring a Chicago legend, the Bulls gave their fans something extra to cheer about - a gritty, down-to-the-wire win over the Boston Celtics, capped off by a clutch corner three from Kevin Huerter. It wasn’t just a win - it was a moment that perfectly tied the past to the present.
The Bulls were celebrating the jersey retirement of Derrick Rose, the hometown hero who electrified the United Center for nearly a decade and became the youngest MVP in NBA history back in 2011. And while the night was built around honoring Rose’s legacy, it ended with a new chapter being written - one that had Huerter stepping into the spotlight.
With the game hanging in the balance, the Bulls executed a possession that would’ve made any coach proud - sharp ball movement, patience, and just enough misdirection to catch the Celtics scrambling. That’s when the ball found Huerter in the corner, and he didn’t flinch. He buried the triple, putting the Bulls ahead for good and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
After the final buzzer, Rose - now a living symbol of Bulls basketball - made a gesture that spoke volumes. He handed Huerter the game ball, signing it and offering a few words of praise: “I'm signing this ball because Kevin Huerter just hit the game-winner and I gotta show him some love.”
It was a classy move from a player who knows a thing or two about big-time buckets in big-time moments.
Huerter’s season has had its share of ups and downs, but this was a high point - and a reminder of the kind of impact he can have when the game slows down and the lights get bright. His shot was the exclamation point on a night when the Bulls leaned into their ball movement and capitalized on a Celtics team that, to be fair, looked a step slow after playing a double-overtime thriller the night before against the Nets.
But the real headline - before Huerter’s dagger - was Rose’s jersey heading to the rafters. And rightfully so.
Rose didn’t just play in Chicago - he was Chicago. From his MVP season in 2010-11, when he carried the Bulls to the top seed in the East and a trip to the conference finals, to the heartbreaking injuries that followed, Rose’s journey has always been tied to this city.
That torn ACL against the Sixers in the 2012 playoffs changed the course of his career, but it never changed how Chicago felt about him.
And Saturday night was proof of that. The love between Rose and the city is still as strong as ever. The United Center was rocking - not just for the win, but for the man who helped bring the Bulls back to relevance in the post-Jordan era.
In the end, it was a perfect script: a win against a top-tier opponent, a hero shot from a player finding his rhythm, and a celebration of a franchise icon who gave everything he had to the city. Derrick Rose got his moment - and so did Kevin Huerter.