WFM’S Chicago Sports Hall of Fame: The Chicago Bulls
The Bulls did not arrive on the Chicago sports team until the mid 60’s so I have witnessed the complete franchise history. It is uneven, but also awesome. Dick Motta’s teams in the mid 70’s were highly competitive and disciplined units. They excelled in the regular season, but their playoff record was spotty, reaching the Conference Finals in 1975 and losing to Rick Barry’s Golden State. They then hit rock bottom before drafting Michael Jordan in 1984. The rest is history. 6 NBA championships from 1991-1998 and the most defining sports and cultural export in Chicago history. The Bulls were international and they are in the discussion for the best NBA team of All Time (1995-1996 edition). We were spoiled and the last 25 years has been a long and awkward process of being a normal NBA franchise again. Under Tom Thibodeaux, the Bulls had couple of outstanding regular seasons and one appearance in the Eastern Conference finals only to fall short against Lebron James. Derrick Rose got hurt and the the franchise has been spinning its wheels the last 12 years- lots of 500 seasons and no flash. Although the Bulls easily exceed the rest of Chicago franchises in team championships, the individual Hall of Fame list is a bit shorter. A bunch of close calls.
1. Jerry Sloan (1966-1976). He is the original Bull, selected in the 1966 expansion draft. He became the emotional and defensive anchor of the franchise’s first decade. He averaged 15 points a game and was a two time All Star and six time All Defensive selection. Sloan’s number 4 was the first the Bulls ever retired, truly appropriate recognition. He was a tough as nails and set the tone. He later became a Hall of Fame coach with the Utah Jazz, losing twice to the Bulls in the NBA finals in the late 90’s.
2. Bob Love (1968-1976). He was the leading scorer and offensive engine of the gritty, defence first team of the 1970’s. He was a three time All Star. He averaged 18 points a game, a good rebounder and athletic and long defender. He was soft spoken, overcame a stutter and was a genuine professional. He excelled for 8 years and was the franchise standard for sustained excellence before the arrival of Mr Jordan.
3. Artis Gilmore (1976-1982, 1987-1988). Gilmore anchored the middle for the Bulls in the years before Jordan. He didn’t have much help on those rosters. He had some great matchups with Bill Walton. He is a Hall of Fame center who remains the franchise leader in blocked shots and among the top three in rebounding. He averaged 19 points a game and was a four time NBA All Star.
4. Michael Jordan (1984-1998). He is arguably the greatest athlete American professional sports has produced in the modern era, He is an icon and actually received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His career requires the least exposition of anyone on this list. He won six championships, six finals MVP’s, five times league MVP, 10 times scoring champion, 14 All Star teams and 12 All Defensive team. Fearless- a demanding teammate. He was a “killer.” The man averaged 32 points a game!
5. Scottie Pippen (1987-1998). Scottie was never merely Jordan’s sidekick. He was a superstar in his own right. He was named to the NBA’s Top 50 Players of All Time team. He was a seven time All Star and eight time All Defensive selection. He was versatile and the key to the triangle offence and the Bull’s stifling defensive squads. A great passer and shutdown defender. A couple of unfortunate controversies along the way the way and a bitter departure but unquestionably the second best player in Bulls history.
6. Derrick Rose (2008-2016). He averaged almost 20 points game and gave Chicago one of the greatest single seasons in NBA history when he became the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011. He was 22 years old and led a 62 win regular season team fame to the Eastern conference finals. A devastating ACL tear the following year short circuited his career. He survived 5 more seasons, but deserves a place on this list because of his first three transcendent seasons.
HONORABLE MENTION
1. Chet Walker (1969-1975). He arrived from Philadelphia already a champion . He gave the Bulls six seasons of smooth, high volume scoring, four All Star nods and a level of big stage credibility that the new franchise badly needed in the Chicago sports market. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2012.
2.Toni Kukoc (1993-2000). A trend setter as part of the first wave of European stars who found success in the NBA. He averaged 15 points a game, was an outstanding three point shooter and a key member of the three peat team of 1996-1998. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2021 and Michael Jordan actually agreed to introduce him- the ultimate show of respect.
3. Joakim Noah (2007-2016). The co leader of the Derrick Rose teams in the mid 2000’s. A natural leader, he was a 2 time All Star and Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. Averaged 10 rebounds and 5 assists a game. In many ways, he redefined the center position. He had the worst looking job shot I have ever seen.
Key exclusions are Denis Rodman (only 3 years of service), Jimmy Butler (majority of big years with other teams) and Norm Van Lier (you need to draw the line somewhere).
