The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16, 1966, and played its first game during the 1966–67 NBA season. The Bulls play their home games at the United Center, an arena on Chicago's West Side.
John MacBeth Paxson is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was their general manager from 2003 to 2009. Paxson played eleven NBA seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, winning three championships as a member of the Bulls. He was an All-American college player at the University of Notre Dame.
Jerome Richard Krause was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003.
Morris Russell Peterson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Michigan State University, where in the 1999–2000 season he led the Spartans to the national title as Big Ten Player of the Year.
Devin LaVell Brown is an American former professional basketball shooting guard who played 8 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Brown won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.
Michael Lamont James is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard, James played college basketball for Duquesne. James spent 13 seasons in the NBA and played for 11 different teams, winning an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. He averaged 20.3 points per game as a member of the Toronto Raptors during the 2005–2006 season.
Rasual Butler was an American professional basketball player. In his 14-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career, he played for the Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs. Butler was born in Philadelphia, and raised in the Point Breeze area of South Philadelphia. After playing college basketball with the La Salle Explorers, he was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Heat. On January 31, 2018, Butler was behind the wheel when he and his girlfriend, Leah LaBelle, died in a single vehicle car crash in Los Angeles.
Robert John Pack Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He last coached the Rwandan club REG of the Basketball Africa League A 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) point guard, he played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Eddie B. Robinson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. A 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) shooting guard/small forward, he spent five seasons (1999–2004) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In April 2017, Robinson was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Roger Philip Mason Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He is the former deputy executive director of the NBA Players Association. He is the former president and commissioner of Big3.
Marco Stefano Belinelli is an Italian professional basketball player and the team captain for Virtus Bologna of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He was selected 18th overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. In 2014, he won the NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs, becoming the first Italian player to do so. He won the Three-Point Contest during the 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He played in the 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 editions of the FIBA EuroBasket and the 2006 and 2019 editions of the FIBA World Championship with the Italian national basketball team.
Aaron Michael Gray is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A heart condition forced him into early retirement in 2015.
José Manuel Calderón Borrallo is a Spanish basketball executive and former player who is a special advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played professionally for 21 years including 14 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Toronto Raptors with whom he set an NBA record for the highest free throw percentage in a season. With the Spain national team, he won a FIBA World Cup title in 2006, two Olympic silver medals in 2008 and 2012, as well as a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also won a EuroBasket title in 2011, two silver medals in 2003 and 2007 as well as a bronze in 2013. Calderón earned an All-EuroBasket Team selection in 2007.
The 1995–96 NBA season was the Toronto Raptors' first season in the National Basketball Association. The Raptors, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, played their first games in 1995, and were the first NBA teams to play in Canada since the 1946–47 Toronto Huskies. Retired All-Star point guard, and former Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas became the team's General Manager. The Raptors revealed a new primary logo of a dinosaur playing basketball, and got new pinstripe uniforms with the logo on the front of their jerseys, adding purple and red to their color scheme.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Bulls' 29th season in the National Basketball Association. This was also the team's first season playing at the United Center. During the off-season, the Bulls signed free agents Ron Harper, and Jud Buechler. The Bulls struggled in the first half of the season with a 23–25 record at the All-Star break. However, there were rumors that retired All-Star guard Michael Jordan would come out of his retirement to rejoin the team, after an unsuccessful baseball career. The Bulls received a major boost upon Jordan's return, as he faxed a memo that simply said "I'm back." The Bulls won 24 of their final 34 games, and finished the season with a 47–35 record, going 13–4 with Jordan back in the lineup. The Bulls finished third in the Central Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
JaVale Lindy McGee is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack and was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. McGee is a three-time NBA champion, having won consecutive titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 before winning a third title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The son of Olympic gold medalist Pamela McGee, he won a gold medal with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
Eldridge David Recasner is an American former professional basketball player. In college, he was a three-time All-Pac-10 Conference guard for the Washington Huskies. After college, he played in a variety of professional leagues such as the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), Europe and the Philippine Basketball Association before entering the NBA. He subsequently played for several National Basketball Association (NBA) teams including the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Bulls' 37th season in the National Basketball Association. In the 2002 NBA draft, the Bulls selected Jay Williams out of Duke University with the second overall pick. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Donyell Marshall. After a 4–6 start to the season, the Bulls went on a nine-game losing streak between November and December. The Bulls finished sixth in the Central Division with a 30–52 record. They also posted a franchise worst road record of 3–38. Jalen Rose led the team in scoring with 22.1 points per game, while Marshall provided the team with 13.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Williams averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Following the season, Williams suffered a career-ending motorcycle accident, while guards Trenton Hassell and Fred Hoiberg both signed as free agents with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the 7th season for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Hornets signed free agent All-Star center Robert Parish, who won three championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s, and acquired Michael Adams from the Washington Bullets. After falling one game short of the playoffs the previous season, the Hornets lost their first three games, but then went on an 8-game winning streak between December and January, holding a 31–17 record at the All-Star break. The Hornets finished second in the Central Division with a solid 50–32 record, and qualified for their second playoff appearance.
Tony Rena Snell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the New Mexico Lobos. He was drafted with the 20th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.
