History of the Chicago Bulls

70s - The Dick Motta Days

The Chicago Bulls franchise began in the 1967 NBA season and it didn’t take them long to find some success. Under legendary coach, Dick Motta, they began a five year playoff run in the early 70s, losing to Jerry West’s Lakers the first three years. In this era they were led by Hall of Fame forward, Chet Walker.

80s - Shortcomings

After a steady decline in wins per season, they drafted probably the greatest player of all time in Michael Jordan. He made an immediate impact in the NBA, sending them back to the playoffs his rookie year while being third in the NBA in points per game. From 1985-1990 they were sent home in the playoffs to either the legendary Celtics or Pistons teams.

90s - Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan absolutely dominated the 90s. He and the Bulls won their first title against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers with Michael Jordan being the only all star player. This began their first three peat before Michael Jordan retired in 1993. Surprisingly, the Bulls were still a decent team making the second round of the playoffs two years in a row. When Jordan came out of retirement they had one of the greatest seasons ever winning 72 games and a championship, beginning their second three peat.

00s - Starting Over

After the 1998 championship, Michael Jordan retired and Scottie Pippen left the franchise along with head coach Phil Jackson. The Bulls went from a dynasty back to square one in the span of a year. It was a decade full of young pieces not developing and being unable to land a head coach long term. This was until they drafted Derrick Rose in 2008.

10s - What Ifs

The beginning of the 2010s showed so much promise from a young Bulls core. In 2011 Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history leading the Bulls to 62 wins along with a young Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. The next year, they clinched another 1 seed but lost in the first round after Rose tore his ACL in the first game. This led to endless “what if” questions as the Bulls never got back to the dominance they once had.