The upcoming Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame on January 10 has most CFB fans excited. But amidst this excitement, an interesting development has occurred in the NBA regarding former Chicago Bulls player Derrick Rose. The Chicago native has become the recipient of one of the highest honors a team can give to a player. This rare honor intrigued several of Rose’s fans, including a particular Penn State player. 

On Saturday, the Chicago Bulls announced that they’ll be honoring Derrick Rose by retiring his jersey next season. Following this news, senior Penn State CB Jalen Kimber paid a special tribute to the retired NBA star on his Instagram story on January 5. Uploading a photo of the youngest NBA MVP in his No. 1 jersey, he added a single ‘GOAT’ emoji to it. 

The admiration is understandable if you know the backstory of Jalen Kimber. He used to play both football and basketball till 12. But as his dad Art Kimber said, “He’s extremely good in basketball, but the thing I noticed is when he played basketball, everybody wanted him to score the b—. He didn’t care about scoring the b—. All he really wanted to do was defend… he’s a defensive minded person, and I think he chose football because he wanted to play defense.” So when an NBA legend like Derrick Rose received high honors, he didn’t waste any time in showering his appreciation. 

The first time Derrick Rose stepped into the NBA, he was selected as the first overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA Draft. In his first season, he earned the title of NBA Rookie of the Year. He followed this success by becoming the youngest NBA player to win the Most Valuable Player award in the 2010-11 season when he was just 22. He remained with the Bulls for eight seasons, averaging 19.7 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in a total of 406 games. He announced his retirement from the NBA on September 26 after playing 16 years across various teams. 

Derrick Rose will be the fifth player in the Bulls’ history to have his jersey retired. The team has already retired the jersey numbers of legends including Michael Jordan (23), Scottie Pippen (33), Bob Love (10), and Jerry Sloan (4). Now, he exclusively owns the No. 1 jersey number of the Chicago Bulls.

As Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf told Rose in person, “nobody’s wearing that No. 1 jersey again.” Nobody, except his son Derrick Rose Jr. (PJ). That is if he decides to play for the Bulls. As of now, the date for the ceremony is not set yet. So we might as well focus on what’s immediately ahead. 

Penn State vs Notre Dame—close competition 

College football is still in the thick of excitement. The CFP semifinals. So who will emerge as the two victorious teams to contend for the natty? A big 31-14 win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl advanced them to the Orange Bowl. Can they get another successful run against Notre Dame, who is coming off a big win against SEC giant Georgia? The last time Penn State and Notre Dame met was in 2007 when the Nittany Lions defeated the Fighting Irish 31-10. 

This season, the favor falls on Marcus Freeman and co. as they enter as a 1.5-point favorite inside Hard Rock Stadium. Still, both teams have similar situations. They both have 200+ yards per game and allowed fewer than 16 points per game. Penn State sits at No. 5 in the nation in yards allowed per game at 288.8 while Notre Dame ranks at No. 8 with 295.3.

Also, both teams haven’t won a national championship in forever. The last time the Nittany Lions won the title was in 1986. As for the Irish, it was in 1988. 

The winner is really going to have a big reason to celebrate. Besides, if one of them wins the natty, either one of the HCs will become the first Black coach to win a national title. So, this game is going to be fueled with determination.