Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Bulls compete in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays in the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The Bulls entered the NBA in the 1966-1967 season. Chicago was one of the strongest teams in the NBA from 1970 to 1975, winning more than 50 games four straight years. The stars of those teams were forwards Chet Walker and Bob Love, center Tom Boerwinkle, and guards Norm Van Lier and Jerry Sloan.
Chicago went into a decline during the late 1970’s and the 1980’s, with only one winning season between 1976-1977 and 1987-1988. During the 1990’s, the Bulls were the dominant team in the NBA, winning six championships under coach Phil Jackson. The Bulls of this period were one of the most colorful and popular teams in NBA history, led by guard Michael Jordan. Other Bulls stars of the 1990’s included forwards Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Horace Grant; center Bill Cartwright; and guards John Paxson, Toni Kukoc, and Ron Harper.
Following the Bulls’ last championship in the 1997-1998 season, the team broke up, with Jackson leaving, along with Jordan and Pippen. The team missed the playoffs every season beginning with 1998-1999, but started to rebuild in the early 2000’s with young players such as Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. After six straight losing seasons, the Bulls achieved a 47-35 record for the 2004-2005 season and reached the first round of playoffs. New stars on the team were rookies Ben Gordon and Luol Deng.
The Bulls made the playoffs four of the next five seasons. The star of the 2008-2009 team was guard Derrick Rose, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year. The Bulls won their division in 2010-2011 with a league-leading 62 regular-season victories. Rose was named the NBA Most Valuable Player, the youngest player ever to receive the award. Top Bulls players of the 2010’s also included guard-forward Jimmy Butler and center Joakim Noah. Guard Zach LaVine and forward DeMar DeRozan led competitive Bulls teams in the early 2020’s.
See also Jackson, Phil; Jordan, Michael; Pippen, Scottie; Rodman, Dennis; Rose, Derrick.
