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.
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, a seven-time All-NBA Team member and is widely viewed as one of the most acrobatic slam dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Human Highlight Film". In October 2021, he was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Wilkins is the leader in most years with the Hawks for 12 seasons, the most games played with 882 in Hawks franchise history, the most minutes played with 32,545 in Hawks franchise history, the most career points in Hawks franchise history with 23,292 points, and the most points per game with 26.4 in Hawks franchise history.
Larry Darnell Hughes Sr. is an American former professional basketball player. Hughes played for eight different teams during his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hughes attended Saint Louis University before being selected with the eighth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Hughes is the founder of the Larry Hughes Basketball Academy.
Keith Ramon Bogans is an American former basketball player who last served as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Kentucky.
Channing Thomas Frye is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward-center, he played college basketball for the University of Arizona. He was drafted eighth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA draft, and was the first college senior to be selected in that draft. He also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, winning an NBA Championship with the Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Damien Lamont Wilkins is an American former professional basketball player and basketball executive who played in the National Basketball Association for ten seasons. He is the General Manager and Head of Basketball at Overtime Elite. He is the son of retired 13-year NBA veteran Gerald Wilkins and nephew of nine-time NBA All-Star, Hall of famer Dominique Wilkins.
Joel Craig Ehlo is a retired American basketball player best known for falling down after Michael Jordan scored a game winning shot. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456 assists and 3,139 rebounds.
Shannon Brown is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State University. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 25th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft.
Brandon Leray Rush is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after playing for Kansas for three seasons, including the 2008 championship season. He was selected as a Wooden Award All-American in both 2007 and 2008 as a Jayhawk. Rush has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves, winning an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015.
Wayne Robert Ellington Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player development coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Known for his shooting ability, he was nicknamed "The Man With The Golden Arm". He played for the University of North Carolina from 2006 to 2009. He chose to forgo his final season of college eligibility to declare for the 2009 NBA draft, and was drafted 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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 1994–95 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association for the franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio. This was also the team's first season playing at the Gund Arena. During the off-season, the Cavaliers signed free agents Michael Cage, and Tony Campbell. Despite losing both Brad Daugherty with a back injury, and Gerald Wilkins with a ruptured Achilles tendon for the entire season, the Cavaliers posted an 11-game winning streak in December, which led them to a 20–8 start, and held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break. However, they played below .500 for the remainder of the season as Mark Price missed 34 games with a broken wrist. Price would soon return, as the Cavaliers finished 4th in the Central Division with a 43–39 record.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers had the 22nd overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected Chris Mills from the University of Arizona. During the off-season, the team acquired Tyrone Hill from the Golden State Warriors, and signed free agent Rod Higgins in December. Under new head coach Mike Fratello, the Cavaliers struggled playing below .500 with a 7–14 start, but soon recovered and held a 24–23 record at the All-Star break. The Cavs were bitten by the injury bug again as Brad Daugherty missed 32 games with a back injury, while Larry Nance missed 49 games with a knee injury, and Hill missed 25 games due to thumb and knee injuries. However, Mark Price, Hot Rod Williams and Gerald Wilkins would all step up, as the Cavaliers posted an 11-game winning streak between February and March, finishing 4th in the Central Division with a 47–35 record.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the 23rd season of the National Basketball Association in Cleveland, Ohio. During the off-season, the Cavaliers signed free agent Gerald Wilkins, and then traded Steve Kerr to the Orlando Magic during the first month of the regular season. The Cavaliers struggled with an 8–11 start, but then went on a 7-game winning streak afterwards in December. The Cavs also had a 12–1 record in February, held a 34–19 record at the All-Star break, then posted a ten-game winning streak in April, finishing 2nd in the Central Division with a 54–28 record, while posting a very successful 35–6 home record.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association in New York City. In the off-season, the Knicks hired Pat Riley as their new head coach; Riley previously coached the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago. The team also acquired Xavier McDaniel from the Phoenix Suns, signed free agent Anthony Mason, and selected point guard Greg Anthony out of UNLV with the 12th overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft. Under Riley, the Knicks showed improvement as they held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Brian Quinnett to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for James Donaldson. The Knicks finished second in the Atlantic Division with a 51–31 record.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the Hawks' 45th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season in Atlanta. In the off-season, Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Michael Jordan shocked the NBA by announcing his retirement. This meant that various teams in the league had an opportunity to contend for a championship. The Hawks hired Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens as their new head coach. Wilkens was a star guard for the franchise when it was based in St. Louis in the 1960s. He was quickly moving up the all-time coaching wins list after successful runs with the Seattle SuperSonics and Cleveland Cavaliers. Wilkens employed a defensive system which benefited several members of the team. The team also signed free agents Craig Ehlo, and Andrew Lang during the off-season.
Derrick Martell Rose is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA draft. Nicknamed "D-Rose", and sometimes referred to as "The Windy City Assassin" or simply "Pooh", he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and became the youngest player to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2011 at the age of 22 years and 7 months.
Timothy Mark Thomas is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He was a highly ranked prospect while playing at Paterson Catholic High School in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. Thomas played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats and declared for the 1997 NBA draft after his freshman season. He spent thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. Thomas serves as the head coach of the boys basketball team at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the Clippers' 24th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 10th season in Los Angeles. The Clippers had the thirteenth overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft, and selected Terry Dehere out of Seton Hall University. In the off-season, the team signed free agent Mark Aguirre, who won two championships with the Detroit Pistons from 1989 to 1990. Under new head coach Bob Weiss, the Clippers played slightly under .500 with an 11–14 start, but then struggled posting a 7-game losing streak between December and January, as Stanley Roberts only played just 14 games due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. The team held a 16–29 record at the All-Star break.
The 1998–99 NBA season was the tenth season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.
