Caleb Wilson said after his draft selection, “I want to be the greatest of all time.” While some are critical of this statement, franchise legend Derrick Rose is throwing his weight behind the Chicago rookie. D-Rose even answered about relating to the newest Bulls star.

“I feel like you have to be delusional in a way,” Rose said to Devan Kaney of Fox Chicago Sports about how similar rookie Caleb Wilson’s mindset and competitiveness is to his own. “And I feel like he’s delusional [enough to] where he believes that he’s the Number One player. And I can respect that. I mean, not to go deep into it, but yeah we relate a lot.”

Why Derrick Rose is a fan of these statements and intentions is because he had something similar. He had said, “Why can’t I be MVP?” before actually winning MVP the following year and still having the record of youngest MVP in league history.

A few weeks ago, Derrick Rose even worked out the new Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain & Noa Essengue. Highlighting about that interaction, the franchise legend explained it was short but was around sacrifice.

“I didn’t talk to him that much. But I was just telling him about making a gambit move. That gambit move is a sacrifice you gotta keep making the sacrifice no matter what level you are on. Because it’s gonna make sure you are disciplined and make sure that you are focused. I feel like he’s that focused young guy.”

A small video of their interaction previously was uploaded on social media where D-Rose asked about the sacrifice that Wilson is willing to make. The answer from the Bulls rookie was clear. “I be here (practice) at night. I be here all the time.”

The admiration goes both ways. In fact, Caleb wore a silver rose pin on draft night honoring Derrick Rose. He said he thought it would bring him good luck in getting drafted by the Chicago Bulls.

It worked as the Bulls eventually picked him with their overall fourth pick. The consensus has generated that ‘Caleb Wilson is going to be the best Bull at least since Derrick Rose.’ Veteran analyst Bill Simmons said this too.

“He’s the first legit Bulls star since Derrick Rose. This kid has it. They’ll probably build the team around him, playing up and down. And everybody’s going to love him.”

Simmons also has been on record being one of Wilson’s strongest early advocates, calling the Bulls the biggest winners of the 2026 draft after selecting him 4th overall. While Derrick Rose and Simmons are loving the energy, some are not on board with the rookie’s statement.

“I want to be the greatest of all time. … Y’all got one of the goats in y’all history, so it’s time for another one.”

Caleb Wilson set the bar high when he set out to build his legacy on Michael Jordan’s path. And Chicago’s own Derrick Rose is loving every part of it.