1988–89 Chicago Bulls season

1988–89   Chicago Bulls season
Head coach	Doug Collins
President	Jerry Krause
General manager	Jerry Krause
Owner	Jerry Reinsdorf
Arena	Chicago Stadium
Results
Record	47–35 (.573)
Place	Division: 5th (Central) Conference: 6th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Eastern Conference finals (lost to Pistons 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	WFLD Sportsvision (Jim Durham, Johnny “Red” Kerr)
Radio	WLUP (Jim Durham, Johnny “Red” Kerr)
< 1987–88 1989–90 >

The 1988–89 Chicago Bulls season was the 23rd season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. ^[1] The Bulls had the eleventh overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected center Will Perdue out of Vanderbilt University. ^{[2] [3] [4]} During the off-season, the team acquired Bill Cartwright from the New York Knicks, ^{[5] [6] [7]} then later on acquired three-point specialist Craig Hodges from the Phoenix Suns in December. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

The Bulls struggled with a 6–8 start to the regular season, but later on held a 27–19 record at the All-Star break. ^[11] Despite losing eight of their final ten games of the season, the team finished in fifth place in the Central Division with a 47–35 record, and earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. ^[12]

Michael Jordan led the league in scoring averaging 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, second-year forward Scottie Pippen showed improvement, replacing Brad Sellers as the team's starting small forward during the regular season, ^{[13] [14]} and averaging 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, while Cartwright provided the team with 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and second-year forward Horace Grant provided with 12.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Hodges contributed 10.0 points per game in 49 games with the Bulls after the trade, Sam Vincent provided with 9.4 points and 4.8 assists per game, John Paxson contributed 7.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, and Sellers contributed 6.9 points per game. ^[15]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Jordan was selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; Jordan scored 28 points along with 5 steals, despite the Eastern Conference losing to the Western Conference, 143–134. ^{[16] [17] [18]} Meanwhile, Hodges participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the fourth consecutive year. ^{[19] [20]} Jordan finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, ^{[21] [22]} and also finished in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, ^[22] while Pippen finished tied in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting. ^{[23] [22]}

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, the Bulls defeated ^[24] the 3rd-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, ^{[25] [26] [27] [24]} and the 2nd-seeded New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. ^{[28] [29] [30]} However, they would lose to the heavily favored, ^[24] and top-seeded Detroit Pistons four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals. ^{[31] [32] [33]} The Pistons would reach the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, and defeat the 2-time defending NBA champion Lakers in four straight games, winning their first ever NBA championship. ^{[34] [35] [36]}

Following the season, head coach Doug Collins was fired after three seasons with the Bulls, ^{[37] [38] [39]} while Vincent was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Orlando Magic expansion team, ^{[40] [41] [42]} and Sellers was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. ^{[43] [14]}

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club team
1	11	Will Perdue	C	United States	Vanderbilt
3	62	Derrick Lewis	F	United States	Maryland

Roster

1988–89 Chicago Bulls roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From C 24 Bill Cartwright 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1957–07–30 San Francisco C 40 Dave Corzine 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1956–04–25 DePaul F 22 Charles Davis 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1958–10–05 Vanderbilt F 54 Horace Grant 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1965–07–04 Clemson F/C 15 Jack Haley 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1964–01–27 UCLA G 14 Craig Hodges 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1960–06–27 Long Beach State G 23 Michael Jordan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1963–02–17 North Carolina G 5 John Paxson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1960–09–29 Notre Dame C 32 Will Perdue 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1965–08–29 Vanderbilt F 33 Scottie Pippen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1965–09–25 Central Arkansas F 2 Brad Sellers 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1962–12–17 Ohio State G 11 Sam Vincent 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1963–05–18 Michigan State

Head coach Doug Collins Assistant(s) Johnny Bach Phil Jackson Tex Winter Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: April 23, 1989

Regular season

In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field. The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. On March 11, 1989, head coach Doug Collins moved Jordan to the point guard position. Two days later, Jordan finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists in just 30 minutes of a blowout win against the Pacers. Jordan continued at point guard through the rest of the regular season. ^{[44] [45] [46]}

Season standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	63	19	.768	–	37–4	26–15	20–10
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	6	37–4	20–21	19–11
x-Atlanta Hawks	52	30	.634	11	33–8	19–22	20–10
x-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	14	31–10	18–23	11–19
x-Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	16	30–11	17–24	12–18
Indiana Pacers	28	54	.341	35	20–21	8–33	8–22

#	Eastern Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Detroit Pistons	63	19	.768	–
2	y-New York Knicks	52	30	.634	11
3	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	57	25	.695	6
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	52	30	.634	11
5	x-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	14
6	x-Chicago Bulls	47	35	.573	16
7	x-Philadelphia 76ers	46	36	.561	17
8	x-Boston Celtics	42	40	.512	21
9	Washington Bullets	40	42	.488	23
10	Indiana Pacers	28	54	.341	35
11	New Jersey Nets	26	56	.317	37
12	Charlotte Hornets	20	62	.244	43

Game log

Regular season

1988–89 game log Total: 47–35 (home: 31–10; road: 16–25)
November: 6–8 (home: 4–0; road: 2–8) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 4, 1988 Detroit L 94–107 Chicago Stadium 0–1 3 November 8, 1988 @ New York L 117–126 Madison Square Garden 1–2 13 November 29, 1988 @ Golden State L 99–109 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 6–7
December: 9–4 (home: 6–2; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 17 December 7, 1988 @ Detroit L 89–102 The Palace of Auburn Hills 8–9 18 December 9, 1988 Milwaukee W 118–100 Chicago Stadium 9–9 22 December 17, 1988 @ Milwaukee W 112–93 Bradley Center 12–10 23 December 20, 1988 L.A. Lakers W 116–103 Chicago Stadium 13–10 26 December 29, 1988 New York W 108–106 Chicago Stadium 14–12
January: 9–5 (home: 6–3; road: 3–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 37 January 21, 1989 Phoenix L 107–116 Chicago Stadium 22–15 41 January 31, 1989 Detroit L 98–104 (OT) Chicago Stadium 24–17
February: 9–4 (home: 6–1; road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 44 February 5, 1989 @ Detroit L 102–113 The Palace of Auburn Hills 25–19 All-Star Break 48 February 16, 1989 Milwaukee W 117–116 Chicago Stadium 28–20 49 February 19, 1989 @ Milwaukee W 108–106 Bradley Center 29–20
March: 10–6 (home: 5–2; road: 5–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 55 March 3, 1989 Milwaukee W 102–96 Chicago Stadium 34–21 56 March 4, 1989 @ New York L 104–122 Madison Square Garden 34–22 59 March 11, 1989 Seattle W 105–88 Chicago Stadium 35–24 62 March 17, 1989 New York W 129–124 Chicago Stadium 37–25 64 March 21, 1989 @ L.A. Lakers W 104–103 Great Western Forum 38–26 65 March 22, 1989 @ Phoenix W 112–111 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 39–26 67 March 25, 1989 @ Seattle W 111–110 Seattle Center Coliseum 41–26 68 March 28, 1989 Golden State W 115–106 Chicago Stadium 42–26 69 March 29, 1989 @ Milwaukee W 106–102 Bradley Center 43–26
April: 4–8 (home: 4–2; road: 0–6) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 73 April 6, 1989 @ Detroit L 108–115 The Palace of Auburn Hills 45–28 74 April 7, 1989 Detroit L 112–114 (OT) Chicago Stadium 45–29 79 April 17, 1989 New York W 104–100 Chicago Stadium 46–33
1988–89 schedule

Playoffs

1989 playoff game log
Eastern Conference First Round: 3–2 (home: 1–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 28, 1989 @ Cleveland W 95–88 Jordan (31) Grant (13) Jordan (11) Richfield Coliseum 19,312 1–0 2 April 30, 1989 @ Cleveland L 88–96 Jordan (30) Grant (14) Jordan (10) Richfield Coliseum 20,273 1–1 3 May 3, 1989 Cleveland W 101–94 Jordan (44) Grant (17) Jordan (10) Chicago Stadium 17,721 2–1 4 May 5, 1989 Cleveland L 105–108 (OT) Jordan (50) Grant (16) Hodges, Pippen (5) Chicago Stadium 18,264 2–2 5 May 7, 1989 @ Cleveland W 101–100 Jordan (44) Pippen (10) Jordan (6) Richfield Coliseum 20,273 3–2
Eastern Conference semifinals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 9, 1989 @ New York W 120–109 (OT) Jordan (34) Cartwright (14) Jordan (12) Madison Square Garden 19,591 1–0 2 May 11, 1989 @ New York L 97–114 Paxson (16) Davis (9) Pippen (5) Madison Square Garden 19,591 1–1 3 May 13, 1989 New York W 111–88 Jordan (40) Jordan (15) Jordan (9) Chicago Stadium 18,599 2–1 4 May 14, 1989 New York W 106–93 Jordan (47) Jordan (11) Pippen (8) Chicago Stadium 18,637 3–1 5 May 16, 1989 @ New York L 114–121 Jordan (38) Pippen (9) Jordan (10) Madison Square Garden 19,591 3–2 6 May 19, 1989 New York W 113–111 Jordan (40) Cartwright (8) Jordan (10) Chicago Stadium 18,676 4–2
Eastern Conference finals: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 21, 1989 @ Detroit W 94–88 Jordan (32) Jordan, Pippen (11) Pippen (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 1–0 2 May 23, 1989 @ Detroit L 91–100 Jordan (27) Grant (20) Paxson (6) The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 1–1 3 May 27, 1989 Detroit W 99–97 Jordan (46) Pippen (8) Hodges, Jordan (5) Chicago Stadium 18,676 2–1 4 May 29, 1989 Detroit L 80–86 Jordan (23) Grant (12) Hodges (5) Chicago Stadium 18,676 2–2 5 May 31, 1989 @ Detroit L 85–94 Hodges (19) Cartwright (12) Jordan (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills 21,454 2–3 6 June 2, 1989 Detroit L 94–103 Jordan (32) Grant (13) Jordan (13) Chicago Stadium 18,676 2–4
1989 schedule

Player stats

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Bill Cartwright	78	76	29.9	.475	.000	.766	6.7	1.2	.27	.53	12.4
Dave Corzine	81	7	18.3	.461	.250	.740	3.9	1.3	.36	.56	5.9
Charles Davis	49	3	11.1	.426	.267	.731	2.3	.6	.22	.10	3.8
Horace Grant	79	79	35.6	.519	.000	.704	8.6	2.1	1.09	.78	12.0
Jack Haley	51	1	5.7	.474	.000	.783	1.4	.2	.22	.00	2.2
Craig Hodges	49	6	22.7	.475	.423	.849	1.7	2.8	.84	.08	10.0
Anthony Jones	8	0	8.1	.333	.000	1.000	1.0	.5	.25	.12	1.5
Michael Jordan	81	81	40.2	.538	.276	.850	8.0	8.0	2.89	.80	32.5
Ed Nealy	13	0	7.2	.714	.000	.500	1.8	.5	.23	.08	.8
John Paxson	78	20	22.3	.480	.331	.861	1.2	3.9	.68	.08	7.3
Will Perdue	30	0	6.3	.403	.000	.571	1.5	.4	.13	.20	2.2
Scottie Pippen	73	56	33.1	.476	.273	.668	6.1	3.5	1.90	.84	14.4
Dominic Pressley	3	0	5.7	.167	.000	.000	.3	1.3	.00	.00	.7
Brad Sellers	80	25	21.6	.485	.500	.851	2.8	1.2	.44	.86	6.9
Sam Vincent	70	56	24.3	.484	.118	.822	2.7	4.8	.76	.14	9.4
David Wood	2	0	1.0	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.00	.00	.0

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Bill Cartwright	17		34.3	.486	.000	.700	7.1	1.2	.53	.71	11.8
Dave Corzine	16		13.7	.422	.000	.647	2.6	.6	.25	.38	4.1
Charles Davis	17		11.2	.404	.167	.778	2.5	.3	.24	.06	2.7
Horace Grant	17		36.8	.518	.000	.800	9.8	2.1	.65	.94	10.8
Jack Haley	5		1.4	.667	.000	.500	.2	.2	.00	.00	1.0
Craig Hodges	17		32.6	.412	.398	.714	1.5	3.6	1.29	.18	11.2
Michael Jordan	17		42.2	.510	.286	.799	7.0	7.6	2.47	.76	34.8
John Paxson	16		18.9	.474	.263	.875	.6	2.1	.75	.00	5.8
Will Perdue	3		7.3	.667	.000	.667	2.0	.7	.00	.00	4.7
Scottie Pippen	17		36.4	.462	.393	.640	7.6	3.9	1.35	.94	13.1
Brad Sellers	13		13.6	.379	.000	.833	2.4	1.2	.23	.31	4.2
Sam Vincent	16		7.1	.303	.000	.750	.5	1.2	.19	.06	1.8

Player statistics citation: ^[15]

Awards and honors

• Craig Hodges, NBA All-Star Weekend Three-Point Shootout Winner
• Michael Jordan, All-NBA First Team
• Michael Jordan, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Michael Jordan, NBA All-Star Game

References

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3. Baker, Chris (June 29, 1988). "1988 NBA DRAFT: Clippers Choose Manning, Then Play for Position: They Trade Cage, End Up with Smith and Grant". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
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5. Goldaper, Sam (June 28, 1988). "N.B.A.; Cartwright Traded to Bulls for Oakley". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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34. Goldaper, Sam (June 14, 1989). "Pistons Earn First Title by Sweeping Lakers". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
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• Bulls on Database Basketball
• Bulls on Basketball Reference