The 'Chicago Bulls' are a professional
basketball team based in
Chicago,
Illinois. They play in the
National Basketball Association. The team was founded in
1966, and has won six
NBA Championships since.
Home arenas
#
International Amphitheatre (1966-1967)
#
Chicago Stadium (1967-1994)
#
United Center (1994-present)
Franchise history
The Chicago Bulls are actually the third NBA team in Chicago, after the Packers/Zephyrs (now the
Washington Wizards) and the
Stags (1946-1950). Today, the Bulls occasionally wear the throwback blue and red jerseys from the Stags. The team began play for the
1966-67 season, and immediately posted the best record by an expansion team in NBA history, qualifying for the playoffs. During its first two seasons, the Bulls played a majority of their home games at the International Amphitheatre, before moving all of their home games to the Chicago Stadium. Over the next few years, the Bulls assembled the pieces to be competitive, though they never quite reached the top. During the 1970s, the Bulls were known as a tough, defensive-minded team, built around hard-nosed defender
Jerry Sloan, forwards Bob Love and
Chet Walker, point guard
Norm Van Lier, and centers
Clifford Ray and
Tom Boerwinkle. Nevertheless, the team only won one division title, and never made it to the Finals.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team had hit the cellar of the league. The Bulls' fortunes would have been forever changed were it not for a simple coin flip. In 1979, the Bulls lost a coin flip for the right to pick first in the NBA draft (
Rod Thorn, the Bulls General Manager, called "heads"). Had the Bulls won the toss, they would have selected the great
Magic Johnson; instead, they selected
David Greenwood with the second pick.
Artis Gilmore, acquired in the
ABA dispersal-draft in 1976, led a Bulls squad which included guard
Reggie Theus, forward David Greenwood, and forward
Orlando Woolridge. After Gilmore was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for center Dave Corzine, the Bulls employed a high-powered offense centered around Theus, and which soon included guards Quentin Daly and Ennis Whatley. However, with continued dismal results, the Bulls decided to change directions, trading Theus during the
1983-84 season.
Arrival of Michael Jordan
Jordan going in for a slam dunk
In the summer of
1984 the team's fortunes changed when it received the third pick of the
NBA draft, after Houston and Portland. The
Rockets selected
Hakeem Olajuwon, the
Blazers jumped on
Sam Bowie, and the Bulls grabbed
shooting guard Michael Jordan out of the
University of North Carolina.
The team, with new management in owner
Jerry Reinsdorf and General Manager
Jerry Krause, decided to rebuild around Jordan. Jordan set franchise records during his
rookie campaign for scoring (3rd in the league) and steals (4th in the league), and led the Bulls back to
the playoffs, for which he was rewarded with a berth on the All-NBA second team and
NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
In the following offseason, the team acquired point guard
John Paxson and drafted
power forward Charles Oakley. Along with Jordan and center Dave Corzine, they provided much of the Bulls' offense for the next two years. After suffering a broken foot early in the
1985-86 season, Jordan finished second on the team to Woolridge in scoring. Jordan returned for
the playoffs, and took the 8th-place Bulls up against the 67-15
Boston Celtics, led by
Larry Bird. Though the Bulls were swept, Jordan recorded a playoff single-game record 63 points in Game 2, prompting Bird to call him '
God disguised as Michael Jordan.'
In
1986-87 Jordan continued his assault on the record books, leading the league in scoring with 37.1 points per game and being the first Bull named to the all-NBA first team. However, the Bulls were again swept by the Celtics in
the playoffs. In the
1987 draft Krause selected center
Olden Polynice 8th overall and power forward
Horace Grant 10th overall, then sent Polynice to Seattle in a draft-day trade for the 5th selection,
small forward Scottie Pippen. With Paxson and Jordan in the backcourt,
Brad Sellers and Oakley at the forward spots, Corzine anchoring center, and
rookies Pippen and Grant coming off the bench, the Bulls made major noise in the
1987-88 season, winning 50 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they were beaten by the eventual Eastern Conference Champion
Detroit Pistons in five games. However, for his efforts Jordan was named NBA
Most Valuable Player, an award he would win four more times over his career.
The
1988-89 season marked a second straight year of major off-season moves. Popular power forward Charles Oakley, who had led the league in total rebounds in both '87 and '88, was traded to the
New York Knicks for center
Bill Cartwright and a draft pick which they used to obtain center
Will Perdue. The new starting lineup of Paxson, Jordan, Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright took some time to mesh, winning fewer games than the previous season, but making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were subdued in six games by the eventual NBA champion Pistons.
In
1989-90, Jordan led the league in scoring for the fourth straight season, and was joined on the all-star squad for the first time by
Scottie Pippen. There was also a major change on the sidelines, where head coach
Doug Collins was replaced by assistant
Phil Jackson. The Bulls also picked up rookie center
Stacey King and rookie point guard
B.J. Armstrong in the
1989 draft. With these additional pieces and the previous year's starting five, the Bulls again made it to the Conference Finals, and pushed the Pistons to seven games before being edged out for the third straight year by Detroit, who would go on to repeat as NBA champions.
The 90s dynasty - Jordan and three-peat
Chicago Stadium was known as "The Madhouse On Madison".
By the
1990-91 season, the Bulls had run out of excuses, and charged through the year with a mission. They recorded a then franchise record 61 wins, and romped through
the playoffs, where they swept the Pistons in the conference finals and won the Finals in five over the
Magic Johnson-led
Los Angeles Lakers on
June 12, 1991. Michael Jordan won regular season MVP and Finals MVP to go with his fifth straight scoring title.
The Bulls won their second straight title in
1991-92 after racking up another franchise record for wins with 67. They prevailed over the
Portland Trail Blazers and
Clyde Drexler in six games. Jordan once again won regular season MVP and Finals MVP, to go with his sixth straight scoring title.
In
1992-93 the Bulls did what no team had done since the legendary Celtics of the 60's by chalking up the
three-peat over regular season MVP
Charles Barkley and the
Phoenix Suns, with John Paxson's shot that gave them a 99-98 victory in Game six at
Phoenix. Jordan was once again the Finals MVP after setting a Finals record for points per game (41.0 ppg). He also tied
Wilt Chamberlain by winning his seventh straight scoring title.
During the summer, Jordan shocked the basketball community by announcing his retirement, only months after learning of his father's murder. The Bulls were then led by Scottie Pippen, who established himself as one of the top players in the league by winning the 1994 All-Star MVP. He received help from Horace Grant and B.J. Armstrong, who were named to their first all-star games. The three were assisted by Cartwright, Perdue, shooting guard
Pete Myers, and
Croatian rookie forward
Toni Kukoč. Despite the Bulls' amazing run during the regular season, where they won 55 games, they were beaten in seven games by the Knicks in the second round of
the playoffs, after a controversial foul call by referee Hue Hollins in game 5 of that series.
The 90s dynasty part II - return of Jordan, "repeat the three-peat"
The United Center.
The Bulls opened the 1994 season by saying goodbye to their home of 27 years
Chicago Stadium and moving into their current home (as of June 2007) the
United Center.
In 1994, the Bulls lost Horace Grant and Scott Williams to free agency and Bill Cartwright and
John Paxson to retirement, but picked up shooting guard
Ron Harper, the seeming heir-apparent to Michael Jordan in Assistant Coach
Tex Winter's triple-post offense, and small-forward
Jud Buechler. The Bulls sported the look of Armstrong and Harper in the backcourt, Pippen and Kukoc at the forward spots, and Perdue at center. They also had sharpshooter
Steve Kerr, whom they acquired via free agency before the 1993-94 season, Myers, and centers
Luc Longley (acquired via trade in 1994 from Minnesota Timberwolves) and
Bill Wennington. However, they were slumping during the season, when on March 17, 1995, they received the best possible news: Michael Jordan was coming out of retirement. He was soon among the best in the league again, scoring 55 points against the Knicks in only his fifth game back, and led the Bulls to the fifth seed in
the playoffs, where they upset the Charlotte Hornets. However, Jordan was too rusty, and the Bulls were unable to overcome the eventual Eastern Conference champion
Orlando Magic, which included
Horace Grant,
Anfernee Hardaway, and
Shaquille O'Neal. When Jordan returned to the Bulls, he initially wore No. 45 (which was his number while playing for the
Birmingham Barons, a
minor-league affiliate of the
Chicago White Sox). He chose the No. 45 because his older brother Larry wore that number in high school. Michael wanted to be half as good as his brother so he chose 23 which is half of 45 (22.5) rounded up. This was because during his first retirement, his jersey had been retired. However, Jordan switched back to the familiar 23 before game 2 of the Orlando Magic series. (There is also a rumor that his 23 jersey had been stolen before Game 1.)
In the offseason, the Bulls lost B.J. Armstrong in the expansion draft, but Krause pulled off a masterful deal by trading Will Perdue to the
San Antonio Spurs for the aggressive and often controversial rebounding specialist
Dennis Rodman, who had won the past four rebounding titles, and who had also been a member of the
Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys" squad that served as the Bulls' chief nemesis in the late 1980s.
With a lineup of Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and Longley, and perhaps the league's best bench in Kerr, Kukoc, Wennington, Buechler, and guard
Randy Brown the Bulls posted one of the best single-season improvements in league history and the best single-season record, moving from 47-35 to 72-10,
[1] which remains the best record in NBA history. Jordan won his eighth scoring title, and Rodman his fifth straight rebounding title, while Kerr finished second in the league in three-point shooting percentage. Jordan garnered the elusive
triple crown with the regular season MVP, All-star Game MVP, and Finals MVP. Krause was named Executive of the Year, Jackson Coach of the Year, and Kukoc was the Sixth Man of the Year. Both Pippen and Jordan made the All-NBA First Team, and Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman made the All-Defensive First Team, making the Bulls the only team in history with three players on the All-Defensive First Team.
In addition, the 1995-96 squad holds several other records, including the best road record in a standard 41-road-game season (33-8), the all-time best start by a team (41-3), the longest home winning streak (44 games, 7 from previous season), the best start at home (37-0). The Bulls also posted the second-best home record in history (39-2), behind only the 1985-86 Celtics 40-1 home mark, and the 2nd best point differential in history, trailing the 1972 Lakers by 3 points over the course of an entire season. However, the significantly lower scoring by the Bulls and their opponents makes the Bulls' margin of victory more impressive. The team triumphed over
Gary Payton,
Shawn Kemp and the
Seattle SuperSonics for
their fourth title. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are widely regarded as the greatest team in the history of basketball.
In the
1996-97 season, the Bulls narrowly missed out on a second consecutive 70 win season by losing their final two games to finish 69-13, and repeated their home dominance going 39-2 at the United Center.
[2] The Bulls capped the season by winning their fifth
NBA championship over
John Stockton,
Karl Malone and the
Utah Jazz. Jordan earned his second straight and ninth career scoring title, while Rodman earned his sixth straight rebounding title. Jordan and Pippen, along with
Robert Parish, were also honored as members of the 50 greatest players of all-time with the NBA celebrating its 50th season. Parish, whose single season with the Bulls would be his last year in the league, was nominated for his stellar career with the
Boston Celtics.
The Bulls achieved the "repeat
three-peat" by winning 62 regular season games and the
1998 NBA Finals. Jordan bagged his third straight scoring title and tenth overall, and his second triple crown with his fifth MVP award, third all-star game MVP, and sixth Finals MVP award. Rodman earned his record seventh straight rebounding title, as the Bulls upended the Jazz for the second straight year. In the sixth and final game of the championship series, Jordan stepped back and buried a controversial game winning jump shot over
Utah Jazz forward
Bryon Russell with five seconds left on the clock - his final shot as a Chicago Bull
A dramatic dismantling
The summer of
1998 brought an abrupt end to the championship era. Krause felt that the Bulls were on the verge of being too old and unable to compete. He decided that the team's only choices were to rebuild or endure a slow decline. His plan was to sink the team and acquire high draft picks while clearing salary cap space to make a run at several promising free agents in two years' time. After having been vetoed in a previous attempt by owner
Jerry Reinsdorf, Krause traded
Scottie Pippen for cast-offs from the Houston Rockets, none of whom made the Bulls' roster. He also declined to re-sign
Dennis Rodman, and traded
Luc Longley and
Steve Kerr for draft picks. He hired a new coach with no professional experience,
Tim Floyd, who had run a successful program at
Iowa State University. Upon Phil Jackson's departure, Michael Jordan made his second retirement official. With a new starting lineup of point guard Randy Brown, shooting guard Ron Harper, newcomer
Brent Barry at small forward, power forward Toni Kukoc, and center Bill Wennington, the team began the
lockout-shortened
1998-99 season. Kukoc led the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists, but the team won only 13 of 50 games.
Five difficult years
The previous year's dismal finish came with one highlight: the team won the draft lottery and the rights to power forward
Elton Brand. Since the team lost Harper, Brown, Wennington and Barry in the offseason, Brand and fellow rookie
Ron Artest led the team throughout the year, especially after Kukoc missed most of the season due to injury and was then dealt for a draft pick at the trading deadline. Brand recorded the first 20-10 average for the Bulls since the days of
Artis Gilmore. He led all rookies in scoring,
rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and minutes, while Artest led all rookies in steals and finished second on the team in scoring. For his efforts Brand was named
1999-2000 co-
Rookie of the Year with
Houston's
Steve Francis, and to the all-rookie first team, while Artest was named to the all-rookie second team. However, the team established a franchise low at 17-65, second worst in the league.
After a summer in which the Bulls witnessed most major and minor free agents
Tim Duncan,
Grant Hill,
Tracy McGrady,
Eddie Jones and even
Tim Thomas spurn them, Krause signed free agent center
Brad Miller and shooting guard
Ron Mercer, and drafted power forward
Marcus Fizer and traded draft pick Chris Mihm to Cleveland for the rights of guard
Jamal Crawford. Brand again led the team in scoring and rebounds with another 20-10 season, but the new acquisitions failed to make a major impact, and they finished with the worst record in team history at 15-67.
Krause shocked Bulls fans on
draft day in 2001 when he traded
franchise player Brand to the
Los Angeles Clippers for second pick in the draft,
Tyson Chandler. He also selected
Eddy Curry with the fourth pick. Since both Chandler and Curry came straight out of high school, neither were expected to make much of a contribution for several years, but they were seen as potential franchise players. The team floundered without veteran leadership. At mid-season, the Bulls traded their top three scorers—Mercer, Artest, and Miller along with Kevin Ollie —to the
Indiana Pacers for veteran guard
Jalen Rose,
Travis Best and Norman Richardson. There was also a change in coaching, with Floyd being dismissed in favor of assistant coach and former Bulls co-captain Bill Cartwright, following a series of arguments with players and management. The Bulls improved from 15 to 21 wins, although they were still tied for last in the league.
For the
2002-03 season, the Bulls came to play with much optimism. They picked up college phenom
Jay Williams with the second pick in
the draft. Rose and Williams teamed with Crawford, Fizer, newcomer
Donyell Marshall, Curry, Chandler, and guard
Trenton Hassell to form a young and exciting nucleus which improved to 30-52 in Bill Cartwright's first full season as
head coach. Curry led the league in field goal percentage, becoming the first Bull since Jordan to lead the league in a major statistical category.
During the summer of
2003, long-time GM
Jerry Krause retired, and former player and announcer John Paxson was tabbed as his successor. Jay Williams, coming off a promising rookie campaign, was seriously injured in a
motorcycle accident. His contract was bought out by the Bulls in February
2004 and he has yet to return to the game. Paxson selected point guard
Kirk Hinrich with the seventh pick in the draft, and signed veteran free agent and former franchise player Scottie Pippen. With Pippen playing, Cartwright at the sidelines, and Paxson in the
front office, the Bulls hoped that some of the championship magic from before would return.
However, the
2003-04 season was a resounding disappointment. Eddy Curry regressed, leading to questions about his conditioning and commitment. Tyson Chandler was plagued by a chronic back injury, missing more than thirty games. Pippen's ability to influence games was impaired by knee problems, and he openly contemplated retirement. Jamal Crawford remained inconsistent. Bill Cartwright was fired as head coach in December and replaced with former Phoenix coach
Scott Skiles. A trade with the
Toronto Raptors brought
Antonio Davis and Jerome Williams in exchange for Rose and Marshall in what was seen as a major shift in team strategy from winning with athleticism to winning with hard work and defense. After struggling throughout the season, the Bulls finished with 23 wins and 59 losses, the second-worst record in the league. Fizer was not re-signed, and Crawford was re-signed and traded to the Knicks for expiring contracts. Hinrich provided the lone bright spot, becoming a fan favorite for his gritty determination and athletic ability. He won a place on the All-Rookie first team.
Resurgence
During the 2004 offseason, Paxson traded a
2005 draft pick to the
Phoenix Suns in return for an additional pick in the
2004 NBA Draft. He used the picks to select
University of Connecticut guard
Ben Gordon and
Duke small forward
Luol Deng in the first round, and Duke point guard
Chris Duhon in the second. Paxson also signed free agent small forward
Andres Nocioni, who had recently won an
Olympic gold medal as a member of the
Argentinian national team. After losing the first nine games of the season, the Bulls began to show signs of improvement behind their improved team defense and clutch fourth-quarter play from Gordon. The Bulls finished the regular season 47-35, with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the
NBA playoffs for the first time since Jordan's departure. In the first round, the 4th-seeded Bulls played the Washington Wizards. The Bulls opened the series with two wins at home, but lost the next four games and the series. After the season, Ben Gordon became the first rookie to win the
NBA Sixth Man Award and the first Bull to win the award since 1996 with
Toni Kukoč.
During the 2005 offseason, the Bulls re-signed free agent
Tyson Chandler. However, Curry showed possible symptoms of a heart disease resulting of a heart murmur during checkups, and Paxson would not clear him to play without extensive
DNA testing. Ultimately, Curry refused to participate in the tests, and he was traded along with Antonio Davis to the
New York Knicks for
Michael Sweetney,
Tim Thomas, and what became the second pick of the
2006 NBA Draft - as well as the right to swap picks with New York in the
2007 NBA Draft.
Without a significant post presence, the Bulls struggled for most of the
2005-06 season. However, a late-season 12-2 surge allowed them to finish 41-41 and into
2006 playoffs. There, the Bulls faced the
Miami Heat. After two close losses in Miami, the Bulls broke through with a blowout win in Game 3, and another win in Game 4. However, the Heat took the next two games to win the series. The Bulls' several young players nevertheless earned additional postseason experience, and Nocioni turned in a remarkable series of performances that far exceeded his season averages.
In the 2006 NBA Draft, the Bulls selected forward-center
LaMarcus Aldridge and immediately traded him to the
Portland Trail Blazers for forward
Tyrus Thomas and forward
Viktor Khryapa. In a second draft-day trade, the Bulls selected
Rodney Carney and traded him to the
Philadelphia 76ers for guard
Thabo Sefolosha. Later that summer, four-time Defensive Player of the Year
Ben Wallace signed with the Bulls for a reported four-year, $60 million contract. Following the signing of Wallace, the Bulls traded Tyson Chandler, the last remaining player of the Krause era, to the (then)
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for veteran power forward
P.J. Brown and salary cap space that was used to sign former Chicago co-captain
Adrian Griffin.
In 2006-07, the Bulls overcame a 3-9 season start to finish 49-33, the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. In the first round, the Bulls again faced Miami, the defending NBA champion. The Bulls narrowly won Game 1 at home, then followed it with a blowout victory in Game 2. In Miami, the Bulls rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to win Game 3 and then posted another comeback win in Game 4. The Bulls' four-game sweep of the defending champion stunned many NBA observers. It was Chicago's first playoff series victory since 1998, Jordan's last season with the team.
The Bulls then advanced to face the
Detroit Pistons, marking the first time the Central Division rivals had met in the playoffs since 1991. The Pistons won the first three games. No NBA team had ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the series, but the Bulls avoided a sweep by winning Game 4 by 10 points. The Bulls then easily won Game 5, and had a chance to make NBA history. But they lost in game 6 by 10, and the Pistons won the series 4-2 on May 17.
Traditions
Starting Lineup Introductions
The Chicago Bulls were the first NBA team to dim their lights during the starting lineup introductions of home games. Other teams around the league soon followed suit. During the Bulls' run of dominance, the player introductions became world famous. Longtime announcer
Tommy Edwards was replaced by
Ray Clay in 1990, and Clay continued many of the traditional aspects of the Bulls introductions, including the music,
Alan Parsons Project's
"Sirius", for all six championship runs. The lights are first dimmed during the visiting team introduction, accompanied by the song
"On The Run" by
Pink Floyd. Then virtually all lights in the stadium are shut off for the Bulls introduction, and a spotlight illuminates each player as he is introduced and runs onto the court. More recently, laser lights and computer graphics on the stadium monitors have been added. Coincidentally,
Alan Parsons wrote "Sirius" for his own band and was the sound engineer for "On the Run" from Pink Floyd's album
Dark Side of the Moon.
Traditionally, the players have been introduced in the following order: small forward, power forward, center, point guard, shooting guard. Thus,
Scottie Pippen was usually the first Bulls player introduced, and
Michael Jordan the last. (Pippen and Jordan were the only players to play on all six Bulls championship teams.) Although internal disputes eventually led to the dismissal of Clay, a modified version of "Sirius" is still used. On September 12, 2006, the Bulls announced the return of
Tommy Edwards as the announcer.
[3]
Black shoe tradition
The Bulls have an unofficial tradition of wearing black shoes (regardless of being home or away) during the playoffs, which dates all the way back to 1989 when they debuted the tradition. It was noted when the Bulls made their first playoff appearance during the 2004-05 season after a six-year hiatus, they went back to the tradition and wore black shoes. They were also the first NBA team to outfit the black socks with black shoes when they made their championship run during the 1996 playoffs. Starting with the 1999 playoffs, this fashion became the norm around the NBA.
Headband Rule
The team also has a rule that no player may wear a
headband. This rule was broken by Ben Wallace during the 2006-2007 regular season. Roughly one third of NBA teams place similar restrictions on player apparel during games.
[4]
Uniform and logo
The Bulls' have three different uniforms: a white home uniform, a red road uniform, and a black
alternate road uniform. The design of the white and red sets are nearly identical, with the team name featured on the front over the number, and the player's last name over the number on the back. The shorts have the Bulls logo in a diamond shaped design on the sides of the legs. The less-often used black uniform shares the same design as the white and the red ones, except that "Bulls" is replaced with "Chicago" on the front of the jersey.
The Bulls wear white shoes during the regular season, but black shoes during the playoffs. This unofficial tradition goes back to the Jordan era. The Bulls also wear only their red uniform on the road during the playoffs.
The Bulls' logo is a red bull's face with an angry expression. The horns are tipped with blood.
The Bulls have recently implemented strict rules on dress code by not allowing players to wear such accessories as head bands and wrist bands. The new dress code has not upset too many players. The dress code was put in place by John Paxson, so players would look more professional and would hopefully instill traits such as respect and humility within the team.
St. Patrick’s Day uniform program
In 2006 the Bulls were one of three teams to take part in the NBA's first ever
St. Patrick's Day uniform program (with the
Boston Celtics and the
New York Knicks). The program consisted of the teams wearing specially designed green uniforms. For the program The Bulls' changed their red road uniforms to green while maintaining the traditional red and black bull’s head on the shorts and the back of the jersey as well as the wording of "Bulls" on the front remaining black. The Bulls wore these uniforms on March 18th against the
Miami Heat.
[5]
The following year the Bulls once again participated in the St. Patrick's Day uniform program altering their road jerseys in the same way as before. This time the special edition uniforms were worn twice by the Bulls: once on March 13th at home against the Celtics and then again on March 17th in Memphis versus the
Grizzlies.
[6]
Rivalries
Main articles: Bulls-Pistons rivalry
The Bulls' primary rivals have been the
Detroit Pistons ever since the Jordan-led Bulls met the "Bad Boy" Pistons in the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals. The two teams met in the playoffs four consecutive years, with the Pistons winning each time until 1991, when the Bulls defeated the Pistons in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals, en route to their first NBA championship. The geographic proximity and membership in the
Central Division further intensify the rivalry, which has been characterized by intense, physical play ever since the teams met in the late 1980s. Chicago fans have been known to have a disliking for Detroit professional teams, as it is the only city that is in the same division as Chicago in all four major North American sports. "Detroit Sucks" is commonly chanted when playing any Detroit team.
The Bulls also had an intense rivalry with the
Cleveland Cavaliers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Unlike the rivalry with the Pistons, in which the two teams have been relatively competitive, the Bulls-Cavs rivalry has been one the more one-sided rivalries, heavily favoring the Bulls. Twice, Michael Jordan hit game- and series- winning shots against the Cavaliers in the playoffs.
A third franchise that the Bulls have competed fiercely with is the
New York Knicks. The two met in the playoffs in four consecutive years (1991-1994), once in 1996, with the teams series twice (1992 and 1994) going the full seven games. The Bulls triumphed in the first three years before narrowly losing in 1994. As with Detroit, the historic rivalry between the cities has led to animosity between the teams and occasionally their fans.
Season-by-season records
Main articles: Chicago Bulls seasons
Players of note
===
Basketball Hall of Famers===
★
George Gervin
★
Robert Parish
★
Nate Thurmond
★
Phil Jackson
Michael Jordan and
Scottie Pippen were members of the
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and all members of that team who are eligible (retired at least 5 years) have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Retired numbers
★ 4
Jerry Sloan, G, 1966-76
★ 10
Bob Love, F, 1968-76
★ 23
Michael Jordan, G, 1984-93 & 1995-98
★ 33
Scottie Pippen, F, 1987-98, 2003-04
★
Phil Jackson, Head Coach, 1989-98
★
Jerry Krause, General Manager, 1985-2003
'Note:' Jackson and Krause do not have actual numbers retired in their honor; rather, two banners hang from the rafters paying tribute to them.
Head Coaches
★
★ Red Kerr (1966/67-1967/68)
★ Dick Motta (1968/69-1975/76)
★ Ed Badger (1976/77-1977/78)
★ Larry Costello (1978/79) - Coached first 56 games of 1979/80
★ Scotty Robertson (1978/79) - Coached final 26 games of 1979/80 as Interim Head Coach
★ Jerry Sloan (1979/80-1981/82) - Fired 51 games into 1981/82
★ Phil Johnson (1981/82) - Coached 1 game as Interim Head Coach
★ Rod Thorn (1981/82) - Coached final 30 games of 1981/82
★ Paul Westhead (1982/83)
★ Kevin Loughery (1983/84-1984/85)
★ Stan Albeck (1985/86)
★ Doug Collins (1986/87-1988/89)
★ Phil Jackson (1989/90-1997/98) (545-193)
★ Tim Floyd (1998/99-2001/02) - Fired 25 games into 2001/02
★ Bill Berry (2001/02) - Coached 2 games as Interim Head Coach
★ Bill Cartwright (2001/02-2003/04) - Coached final 55 games of 2001/02, fired 14 games into 2003/04
★ Pete Myers (2003/04) - Coached 2 games as Interim Head Coach
★ Scott Skiles (2003/04-Present) - Coached final 66 games of 2003/04
Current roster
Additional players of note
==Recent
NBA Draft selections==
★ 2007 -
Joakim Noah (Round 1, 9th pick);
Aaron Gray (Round 2, 49th pick);
JamesOn Curry (Round 2, 51st pick)
★ 2006 -
LaMarcus Aldridge (Round 1, 2nd pick) Rights traded to
Portland Trail Blazers for the draft rights of
Tyrus Thomas and
Viktor Khryapa;
Rodney Carney Round 1, 16th pick, traded to
Philadelphia 76ers for rights to
Thabo Sefolosha
★ 2004 -
Ben Gordon (Round 1, 3rd pick));
Jackson Vroman (Round 2, 31st pick) Rights traded to
Phoenix Suns for the draft rights to
Luol Deng, (Round 1, 7th pick) a future first round draft pick, and cash;
Chris Duhon (Round 2, 38th pick)
★ 2003 -
Kirk Hinrich (Round 1, 7th pick);
Mario Austin (Round 2, 36th pick);
Matt Bonner (Round 2, 45th pick) Rights traded to Toronto for a 2004 2nd round pick;
Tommy Smith (Round 2, 53rd pick)
★ 2002 -
Jay Williams (Round 1, 2nd pick);
Roger Mason, Jr. (Round 2, 32nd pick);
Lonny Baxter (Round 2, 44th pick)
★ 2001 -
Eddy Curry (Round 1, 4th pick);
Trenton Hassell (Round 2, 30th pick);
Sean Lampley (Round 2, 45th pick)
★ 2000 -
Marcus Fizer (Round 1, 4th pick);
Chris Mihm (Round 1, 7th pick) Rights traded to
Cleveland Cavaliers for the draft rights to
Jamal Crawford (Round 1, 8th pick);
Dalibor Bagaric (Round 1, 24th pick);
A.J. Guyton (Round 2, 32rd pick);
Jake Voskuhl (Round 2, 33th pick);
Khalid El-Amin (Round 2 34th pick)
★ 1999 -
Elton Brand (Round 1, 1st pick);
Ron Artest (Round 1, 16th pick);
Michael Ruffin (Round 2, 32nd pick);
Lari Ketner (Round 2, 49th pick)
★ 1998 -
Corey Benjamin (Round 1, 28th pick);
Shammond Williams (Round 2, 34th pick);
Maceo Baston (Round 2, 58th pick)
[1]
[2]
Developmental league
The Bulls are represented in the NBADL by the
Iowa Energy.
High points
Individual Awards
'
NBA Most Valuable Player'
★
Michael Jordan - 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
'
NBA Defensive Player of the Year'
★ Michael Jordan - 1988
'
NBA Rookie of the Year'
★ Michael Jordan - 1985
★
Elton Brand - 2000 (Co-Rookie of the year)
'
NBA Sixth Man of the Year'
★
Toni Kukoč - 1996
★
Ben Gordon - 2005
'
NBA Finals MVP'
★ Michael Jordan - 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
'All-Star Game MVP'
★ Michael Jordan - 1988, 1996, 1998
★
Scottie Pippen - 1994
'
NBA Player ESPY Award'
★
Michael Jordan - 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999
'
NBA Sportsmanship Award'
★
Luol Deng - 2007
'
Coach of the Year'
★
Johnny Kerr - 1967
★
Dick Motta - 1971
★
Phil Jackson - 1996
'
Executive of the Year'
★
Jerry Krause - 1988, 1996
'
All-NBA First Team'
★
Michael Jordan - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
★
Scottie Pippen - 1994, 1995, 1996
'
All-NBA Second Team'
★
Bob Love - 1971, 1972
★
Norm Van Lier - 1974
★
Michael Jordan - 1985
★
Scottie Pippen - 1992, 1997
'
All-NBA Third Team'
★
Scottie Pippen - 1993, 1998
'
NBA All-Defensive First Team'
★
Jerry Sloan - 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975
★
Norm Van Lier - 1974, 1976, 1977
★
Michael Jordan - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
★
Scottie Pippen - 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
★
Dennis Rodman - 1996
'
NBA All-Defensive Second Team'
★
Jerry Sloan - 1970, 1971
★
Norm Van Lier - 1972, 1973, 1975, 1978
★
Bob Love - 1972, 1974, 1975
★
Artis Gilmore - 1978
★
Scottie Pippen - 1991
★
Horace Grant - 1993, 1994
★
Kirk Hinrich - 2007
★
Ben Wallace - 2007
'
NBA Rookie First Team'
★
Erwin Mueller - 1967
★
Clifford Ray - 1972
★
Scott May- 1977
★
Reggie Theus - 1979
★
David Greenwood - 1980
★
Quintin Dailey - 1983
★
Michael Jordan - 1985
★
Charles Oakley - 1986
★
Elton Brand - 2000
★
Kirk Hinrich - 2004
★
Luol Deng - 2005
★
Ben Gordon - 2005
'
NBA Rookie Second Team'
★
Stacey King - 1990
★
Toni Kukoc - 1994
★
Ron Artest - 2000
★
Marcus Fizer - 2001
★
Jay Williams - 2003
★
Tyrus Thomas - 2007
Records
★ Hold the best overall win-loss season record with 72-10 in 1995-96
★ Hold the record for most consecutive home games won (44 from 1994-95 through 1995-96)
★ Hold the record for most consecutive home games won, start of season, 37 in 1995-96
★ Hold the record for most road games won and best overall road record in standard 41 road games, 33-8 in 1995-96
★ Hold the record for the fewest points per game in a season after 1954-55 (81.9 in 1998-99)
★ Hold the record for the fewest points in a game after 1954-55 (49, April 10, 1999)
★ Hold the record for largest margin of victory in a NBA Finals game (42; defeated the
Utah Jazz 96-54)
★ Hold the record for fewest points allowed in a NBA Finals game (54 against the
Utah Jazz)
★ Share record for most players with 40 or more points in a game (
Michael Jordan with 44 &
Scottie Pippen with 40 on
February 18,
1996 against the
Indiana Pacers)
★ Share lowest free throw percentage by two teams in one game (.410 with the
Los Angeles Lakers,
February 7,
1968)
★ Share record for most personal fouls by two teams in one game (87 with the
Portland Trail Blazers,
March 16,
1984)
★ Hold the #2 best overall win-loss home record with 39-2, achieved in both 1995-96 and 1996-97
★ Michael Jordan, most consecutive games with 10 or more points (840 with the Chicago Bulls)
★ Michael Jordan, most free throws made in one quarter (16 twice; vs. the Miami Heat in 4th quarter on December 30, 1992, vs. the Utah Jazz in 4th quarter on November 15, 1989)
★ Michael Jordan, most free throws made in one half (20 vs. the Miami Heat in 2nd half on December 30, 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most free throws attempted in one half (23 vs. the Miami Heat in 2nd half on December 30, 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most points in a playoff game (63 against the
Boston Celtics,
April 20,
1986)
★ Michael Jordan, most field goals attempted in one half of a playoff game (25 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1st half on May 1, 1988)
★ Michael Jordan, most consecutive playoff games with 20 or more points (60 from
March 2,
1989 to
May 11,
1993)
★ Michael Jordan, most playoff games with 50 or more points (8)
★ Michael Jordan, most free throws made in one quarter of a playoff game (13 against the
Detroit Pistons,
May 21,
1991)
★ Michael Jordan, most free throw attempts made in one quarter of a playoff game (13 against the Detroit Pistons, May 21, 1991)
★ Michael Jordan, most three-point field goals in one half of a playoff game (6 against the Portland Trail Blazers,
June 3,
1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most three-point field goals in one half of a NBA Finals game (6 against the Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most points in one half of a NBA Finals game (35 against the Portland Trail Blazers, June 3, 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most field goals made in one half of a NBA Finals game (14 twice; vs. the Portland Trail Blazers in 1st half on June 3, 1992, vs. the Phoenix Suns in 1st half on June 16, 1993)
★ Shared record: Will Perdue for fewest minutes played by a disqualified player in a playoff game (7 against the
New York Knicks,
May 14, 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most points per game in a NBA Finals series (41.0 ppg vs. the
Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals)
★ Michael Jordan, most points in a three-game playoff series (135 against the
Miami Heat in 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most points in a five-game playoff series (226 against the
Cleveland Cavaliers in
1998)
★ Michael Jordan, most field goals in a three-game playoff series (53 against the
Miami Heat in 1992)
★ Michael Jordan, most field goals in a five-game playoff series (86 against the
Philadelphia 76ers in
1990)
★ Michael Jordan, most field goals in a six-game playoff series (101 against the
Phoenix Suns in
1993)
★ Dennis Rodman, most offensive rebounds in a NBA Finals game (11 twice against the
Seattle Supersonics in the 1996 NBA Finals)
★ Shared record: Two teams with the fewest players to score more than ten points in a playoff game (4 with the
Miami Heat,
May 24,
1997)
★ Highest defensive rebound percentage in a playoff game (.952 against the
Golden State Warriors on
April 30,
1975)
★ Shared record: Highest free throw percentage by one team in a playoff game (1.000 against the
Cleveland Cavaliers on
May 19,
1992)
★ Ben Gordon, Most consecutive three pointers in a game without a miss (9, shared with
Latrell Sprewell)
See also
★
Chicago Bulls all-time roster
★
Bulls-Knicks rivalry of the 1990s
★
Bulls-Heat rivalry, current rivalry
★
Tommy Edwards, public address announcer (1976-1990, 2006-present)
★
Ray Clay, public address announcer (1990-2002)
★
Tom Dore, television play-by-play announcer
★
Johnny "Red" Kerr, first head coach (1966-1968), television colorman (1974-present)
★
Wayne Larrivee, television play-by-play announcer
★
Stacey King, television analyst
★
Neil Funk, radio play-by-play announcer
★
Bill Wennington, radio colorman
★
Benny the Bull, mascot
★
Luvabulls, Dance Team
★
Matadors, Male Dance Team
References
1. databasebasketball.com, Chicago Bulls 1995-96 Game Log and Scores, accessed January 20, 2007
2. databasebasketball.com, Chicago Bulls 1996-97 Game Log and Scores, accessed January 16, 2007.
3. http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/edwards_060912.html
4. Big Ben, Skiles play head(band) games
5. NBA Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day With Green Uniforms
6. NBA Teams Paint the Town Green With Special Edition St. Patrick’s Day Uniforms
External links
★
Chicago Bulls official web site
★
Ticket and Arena Information
★
Bullscast - Chicago Bulls Podcast
★
Wiki-editable Information about the Chicago Bulls Usenet Newsgroup
★
Chicago Bulls History
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
