The Chicago Bulls are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Chicago, Illinois. Dick Klein founded the Bulls in 1966 after a number of other professional basketball teams in Chicago had failed. [1] [lower-alpha 1] In their 53 seasons, the Bulls have achieved a winning record 25 times, and have appeared in the NBA playoffs 35 times. [4] They received international recognition in the 1990s when All-Star shooting guard Michael Jordan led them to their six league championships. [5] The only three NBA franchises that have won more championships than the Bulls are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers (17 Championships each), and the Golden State Warriors with 7. The Bulls are the only NBA franchise as of 2022 to have a combination of multiple championships and zero losses in the NBA Finals (the San Antonio Spurs are the closest other franchise to this mark, but the 2013 Finals loss to Miami has given the Spurs an all-time Finals record of 5-1).
The Bulls initially competed in the NBA's Western Division. The Western Division was renamed the Western Conference in 1970, and was split into the Midwest and Pacific Divisions. The Bulls played in the Midwest Division until 1980, when they moved to the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. [4]
During their inaugural season (1966–67), the Bulls compiled a 33–48 record under coach Johnny "Red" Kerr and reached the playoffs. This was the best record achieved by an NBA expansion team in its first year of play, a feat which earned Kerr the NBA Coach of the Year Award. Dick Motta replaced Kerr in 1969, and under his leadership, the Bulls appeared in the playoffs every year from 1970 to 1975. The team reached the Western Conference finals in 1974 and 1975, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Key players during the Motta era included Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, and Tom Boerwinkle. [6] Revered basketball writer Bob Ryan wrote that Sloan and Van Lier comprised the "physically and mentally toughest NBA backcourt" he ever saw.
The Bulls qualified for the playoffs just twice between 1976 and 1984, a period in which the team used eight different head coaches, including former player Jerry Sloan. [7] They had a chance to win the first pick of the 1979 NBA draft, which would have allowed them to select future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. However, they lost a coin flip to the Los Angeles Lakers, and went on to choose David Greenwood with the second pick. Although Greenwood averaged 12.6 points over six seasons with the Bulls, he never became an NBA All-Star. [8] During this period the Bulls were perhaps best known for being led by former-ABA star Artis Gilmore and Reggie Theus, both of whom were multiple time All-Stars with the Bulls. [9]
The Bulls' luck turned for the better after selecting Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft. [6] Considered the greatest basketball player of all time by NBA.com, [10] Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game during his first season and received the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. From 1985 onwards, the Bulls reached the playoffs every season he was on the team's roster despite having had a losing record in each of his first three years. Jordan could not lead the Bulls past the first round of the playoffs by himself losing to the champion Celtics and in 1987 general manager Jerry Krause acquired Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant at that summer's draft. In 1989, the Bulls played in their first conference finals series since 1975, losing to the Detroit Pistons. Coach Phil Jackson, an assistant since 1987, succeeded Doug Collins as head coach after that season and in 1991, the team won their first of three consecutive NBA championships by defeating Magic Johnson and the Lakers. [6] Then they won two more consecutive titles in 1992 and 1993 after which Michael Jordan retired.
Although the Bulls signed European standout Toni Kukoč to help alleviate the loss, despite only two less wins from the year before, they could not extend their championship streak, falling short in hard fought 7 games battle to the New York Knicks in the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bulls lost Horace Grant, who signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent during the summer of 1994. [6] However, Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and lost in 1995 NBA Playoff despite posting one of his best numbers and close to his playoff average and with the added help of rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, the team won three more championships from 1996 to 1998. [10] The 1995–96 Bulls won a then-record 72 regular season games (out of 82) [11] and are widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. [12]
After the Bulls won their sixth championship, Phil Jackson was not re-signed and spent some time away from basketball. Michael Jordan then announced his second retirement, because general manager Jerry Krause wanted to begin rebuilding the roster with younger athletes. Six players from the 1997–98 Bulls (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Jud Buechler, [6] and Scott Burrell [13] ) joined other teams through free agency or sign-and-trade deals, and with few established players left on the roster, the Bulls missed the 1999 playoffs. This began a six-year playoff drought, the longest such drought in team history. [6]
The Bulls showed signs of improvement after hiring coach Scott Skiles in 2003, reaching the playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Some of the primary contributors on those teams were Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich. [6] The Bulls' new playoff streak ended in 2008, when the team finished fourth in their division with a 33–49 record. After the season, the team hired a new coach, Vinny Del Negro. [14] The Bulls' poor record did help them win the 2008 NBA draft lottery, which allowed them to select Derrick Rose with the first pick in the NBA draft. [15] [16] They made the 2009 NBA playoffs, only to lose in a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics which included a record seven overtime periods. [17] In 2010, Del Negro was replaced by Tom Thibodeau, and the Bulls reached the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, losing to the Miami Heat in five games. [18]
ASG MVP | All-Star Game Most Valuable Player |
COY | Coach of the Year |
DPOY | Defensive Player of the Year |
Finish | Final position in league or division standings |
GB | Games behind first-place team in division [lower-alpha 2] |
Losses | Number of regular season losses |
EOY | Executive of the Year |
FMVP | Finals Most Valuable Player |
MVP | Most Valuable Player |
ROY | Rookie of the Year |
SIX | Sixth Man of the Year |
SPOR | Sportsmanship Award |
Wins | Number of regular season wins |
Note: Statistics are correct as of the 2020–21 season.
NBA champions | Conference champions | Division champions | Playoff berth |
Note: Statistics are correct as of the 2022–23 season.
Statistic | Wins | Losses | Win% |
---|---|---|---|
Chicago Bulls regular season record | 2,344 | 2,254 | .510 |
Chicago Bulls postseason record | 187 | 162 | .536 |
All-time regular and postseason record | 2,531 | 2,416 | .512 |
The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks. All teams except the Cavaliers are former Midwest Division teams; thus, the Central Division now largely resembles the Midwest Division in the 1970s.
The Midwest Division was a division in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The league realigned itself into two conferences, the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, with two divisions each in each conference. The Midwest Division began with four inaugural members, the Chicago Bulls, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls and the Suns joined from the Western Division, while the Pistons and the Bucks joined from the Eastern Division.
The 1998 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997–98 season. The tournament concluded with the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. The Bulls achieved a second three peat, a goal unrivaled since the Boston Celtics in 1966. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the sixth and final time.
The 1997 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996–97 season. The tournament concluded with the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2. This was the Bulls' second straight title, and fifth overall. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the fifth time.
The 1996 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995–96 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for a then record fourth time.
The Bulls–Pistons rivalry is an NBA rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. The rivalry began in the late 1980s and was one of the most intense in NBA history for a couple of years, when Michael Jordan evolved into one of the league's best players and the Pistons became a playoff contender. They represent the two largest metro areas in the Midwest and are only separated by a 280-mile (450 km) stretch of road, mostly covered by I-94, which is a factor in the two cities’ rivalries with each other in other sports besides basketball.
The 2009 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP.
The 2010 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2009-10 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.
The IBM Award was an award given out to National Basketball Association players from 1984 to 2002. The award was sponsored and calculated by technology company IBM and was determined by a computer formula, which measured a player's statistical contribution to his team. The player with the best contribution to his team in the league received the award. The first recipient was Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the final recipient was Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.