Bulls Guard Derrick Rose accepted his "Chicago's Sexiest Athlete" award Tuesday night at an event celebrating Victoria's Secret's "What's Sexy Now Chicago" campaign.
Brazilian Angel Alessandra Ambrosio presented the award.
"I'm thankful for my fans that voted," Rose said earlier in the day following practice at the Berto Center. "It was a fun thing to be a part of."
Rose's teammates collectively won as the sexiest Chicago sports team.
Blackhawks Winger Patrick Sharp was originally -- and inaccurately -- declared the winner in the athlete category on the Victoria's Secret Web site. The company blamed an "internal error" on the incorrect posting.
"We have the necessary evidence/documentation that Derrick is definitely the winner," said Bull spokeswoman Sebrina Brewster. "At 11 p.m. on Nov. 25 when voting ended, Derrick was the clear winner. Derrick had 52,788 to Patrick Sharp’s 50,488. The web site didn't shut off and Patrick’s fans kept voting where our fans stopped because we had already won. So it was actually Derrick that was leading by almost 2,000 votes note Patrick when the voting officially ended."
A Victoria's Secret spokesman confirmed the tally and apologized for the error and any confusion.
"The nominee that received the most votes in our Sexiest Athlete category at the end of our public voting campaign, which officially ended 11:00PM CST, November 25, 2009, was Derrick Rose," said Nicole Gibbons in a statement.
Victoria's Secret model Marisa Miller nominated Rose during a brief court appearance in October.
