Top 50 Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls were founded in 1966, bringing Basketball to the Windy City far later than it should have.
For most fans, the Bulls history really did not begin until they drafted Michael Jordan. The drafting of M.J. changed everything, and he would take them to a pair of "three-peats," which will be forever celebrated, as it should be.
Chicago has not made the Finals since Jordan’s departure.
This list is up to the end of the 2022-23 regular season.
Note: Basketball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
On every best-of list for a team, there is one that is one player that seems impossible to rank. For the Chicago Bulls, that is Dennis Rodman, who we have rated lower than most other publications have, though statistically, we can actually justify placing him five spots lower.
B.J. Armstrong left the University of Iowa as their all-time Assists leader, and who was he going to pass to as a pro? Michael Jordan.
Taj Gibson was the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 at USC, and the Chicago Bulls took him with the Twenty-Sixth Pick of that year's Draft.
Orlando Woolridge was taken no. 6 overall in 1981 by the Chicago Bulls, and the Small Forward played his first five seasons there.
Normally a pro basketball player works up to their best pro season, but Dave Greenwood did it backward as his rookie year was his most productive.
John Paxson was a two-time Second Team All-American at Notre Dame, and after two years with the San Antonio Spurs, he joined the Chicago Bulls as a Veteran Free Agent.
Carlos Boozer was a two-time All-Star with the Utah Jazz, and while he was not able to gain a third with Chicago, he was still able to provide a solid two-way game in the four years he was a Bull.
Clifford Ray was taken number 40 in the 1971 Draft, but despite that late selection, the Oklahoma Sooner made the Chicago Bulls roster
When people think of Pau Gasol, they will always think of the Los Angeles Lakers first. They should, but don't sleep on his two years with the Chicago Bulls, where he played the most complete basketball of his career.
We admit it. When DeMar DeRozan joined the Chicago Bulls in 2021 in a sign and trade, we thought he would put up decent numbers but at no point did we think he could be an MVP contender at this stage in his career. But that is what he did! DeRozan shocked the Windy City with what was arguably his best year in Basketball, earning Second Team All-NBA accolades and a fifth trip to the All-Star Game,…
Ron Harper knew that his stats would plummet when he signed with the Chicago Bulls in 1994. Before he signed that Free Agent deal with the Bulls, Harper had four 20-plus PPG seasons in the NBA, including the year before he joined Chicago. Harper was expected to score in droves for the Los Angeles Clippers (his previous team), but on the star-laden Bulls, he didn't have to.
The Chicago Bulls were Dave Corzine's third team, having played two years a piece for the Washington Bullets and the San Antonio Spurs before he was traded to his hometown.
An NBA Champion with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976, Weiss was traded from his third NBA team, Milwaukee to the Chicago Bulls during the 1968-69 Season.
Tyson Chandler was the Second Overall Pick in 2001 by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers traded Chandler immediately to Chicago for Elton Brand, and there was hope that the Bulls would be able to build their team around the Center.
Nikola Vucevic starred for the hapless Orlando Magic for years before they traded him in the middle of the 2020/21 Season to the Chicago Bulls, and though he has not seen much playoff success there either, it is a much better situation. Vucevic played in the 2021 All-Star Game two weeks before he was dealt to Orlando, and with the Bulls, he had Zach LaVine and later DeMar DeRozan allowing him not to have to…
The Chicago Bulls had the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, and they took Elton Brand, the Duke sophomore who was named the ACC Player of the Year, and National College Player of the Year.
Nikola Mirotic was taken 23rdOverall by Houston in 2011, but he was traded twice that day to become a Chicago Bull, although that would not happen for years.
Andres Nocioni played in the Spanish League for years, and his performance in Argentina's 2004 Olympic Gold Medal win landed him a contract with the Chicago Bulls.
In the journeys of Brad Miller, the Center found himself in the Windy City as a professional twice.