Derrick Rose Named Exclusive Solo Cover Athlete for NBA 2K27 Ultra Edition After Bulls Jersey Retirement

Derrick Rose is back on top of the basketball world, and this time he doesn’t have to share the spotlight. The Chicago native has been named the exclusive solo cover athlete for the Ultra Edition of NBA 2K27, marking the first time in his career he has fronted a “2K” cover entirely on his own. Rose joins Victor Wembanyama, who headlines the Standard Edition, and Caitlin Clark, who fronts the Deluxe Edition, as the trio of cover stars for this year’s release.

The honor caps a stunning few months for Rose, who saw his iconic No. 1 jersey lifted into the rafters at the United Center on January 24, capping a 16-year NBA career defined by his rise from hometown prodigy to the youngest MVP in league history. The 2K cover reveal, announced Wednesday, gives Rose a fresh moment in the spotlight just as the retro wave of appreciation for his legacy continues to build. NBA 2K27 launches September 4, with early access for Deluxe and Ultra Edition buyers beginning August 28.

A Second Cover, But His First Alone

Rose previously appeared on an NBA 2K cover in 2012, sharing the NBA 2K13 artwork with Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin. This time, the Ultra Edition belongs to him alone — a distinction that mirrors the trajectory of his career, from a can’t-miss No. 1 overall pick in 2008 to a singular, era-defining talent in Chicago. Wembanyama becomes the first San Antonio Spurs player ever featured on a 2K cover after leading the Spurs to the 2026 NBA Finals, while Clark continues the game’s recent trend of spotlighting WNBA stars, becoming the first Indiana Fever player honored with the distinction.

Rose’s basketball résumé needs little embellishment for those who remember his prime. He won Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, then followed it with three straight All-Star appearances before capturing the 2010-11 MVP award at just 22 years old — still the youngest winner in NBA history. That season, Rose averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds while leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, the franchise’s deepest playoff run since Michael Jordan’s final title season in 1998.

From United Center Rafters to Video Game Cover

The jersey retirement ceremony in January made Rose just the fifth player in Bulls history to have his number permanently honored, joining Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bob Love and Jerry Sloan. Across 723 career regular-season games with the Bulls, Knicks, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Pistons and Grizzlies, Rose finished with 12,573 points and 3,770 assists, numbers that undersell just how electrifying he was before a series of knee injuries altered the shape of his career. Even in the years that followed, Rose kept producing signature moments, including a 50-point outburst for Minnesota in 2018 that brought him to tears on the court.

For a generation of NBA fans who grew up watching Rose attack the rim as a Bulls point guard, the Ultra Edition cover feels less like a marketing rollout and more like a long-overdue victory lap. It arrives during a summer when Chicago’s basketball nostalgia is running especially high, with Rose’s number now hanging permanently in the United Center alongside the franchise’s championship banners.

What Comes Next

NBA 2K27’s staggered release plan gives early buyers a head start regardless of which edition they choose, with the full game following the Ultra and Deluxe early access window by about a week. As the calendar turns toward training camps and a new NBA season, Rose’s cover appearance is likely to keep his name in circulation among bettors tracking early futures markets and preseason storylines, the kind of buzz that often shows up first in DraftKings promo code offers built around marquee league moments. For now, though, the moment belongs to Rose alone, a fitting coda for a player whose rise and comeback attempts made him one of the most compelling figures the league has seen in the last two decades.