The top 25 Chicago Bulls of all time

The bottom of this list is less than stellar, but there are some good players down here in the 20s. Woolridge started his career with the Bulls, playing five seasons with the team. He averaged 17.4 points per game and averaged over 20 points per contest twice. Woolridge never made an All-Star Game, but he was an efficient scorer.

Gordon has a strikingly similar profile to that of Woolridge. He played five seasons with the Bulls and had over 20 points per game twice. Unlike Woolridge, though, Gordon benefited from the three-point era. He’s second in three-pointers made in franchise history and sixth in three-point percentage.

Gibson is the quintessential “Tom Thibodeau guy.” He was tenacious, played defense and was willing to take on a ton of minutes in both Chicago and now in Minnesota. Sometimes glue guys become beloved in a city, and the eight years in Chicago made that true of Gibson in the Windy City. Gibson was a strong rebounder, an astute shot-blocker and is 10th in career games played in franchise history.

Greenwood almost averaged a double-double in his time with the Bulls. He averaged 9.1 rebounds per game in Chicago, although with only 12.6 points per game. The power forward ranks eighth in both total rebounds and blocked shots in franchise history. We haven’t gotten to a single All-Star yet, but Greenwood was a good player.

Boerwinkle played his entire 10-year career with the Bulls, and while he had some bad years toward the end, in the beginning he was a potent rebounder and imposing defensive presence at center. Boerwinkle is seventh in box plus/minus in Bulls history. Want more traditional stats? He’s second in total rebounds and ninth in total assists.

Finally, an All-Star! Gasol, fresh off his stint with the Lakers with whom he won two rings, played only two seasons in Chicago. However, in both of those years he made the All-Star Game. He averaged 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per contest while rocking the red. A short stint? Sure, but the Bulls have surprisingly few All-Stars in their history.

Theus was also a two-time All-Star with the Bulls but at a different point of his career. While Gasol is a veteran moving toward the tail end of his (still ongoing) career, Theus began his NBA career with the Bulls. In his last full season with the team, before being dealt to the Kicks, Theus averaged 23.8 points per game. That was in the 1982-83 season, before Bulls history changed forever.

Longevity was the name of the game in making Paxson adored in Chicago. He played nine seasons with the Bulls and was something of an iron man at point guard. His numbers weren’t ever all that great, but he is seventh in career assists for the franchise. He’s also fifth in games played because, again, longevity. For years, he’s been a part of the Bulls front office as well, although his track record there is a bit spottier.

Rodman is a Hall of Famer, but he spent only three seasons with the Bulls. In each of those, though, he led the NBA in rebounds per game (continuing a streak that totaled seven in the end). On top of that, he won three titles in Chicago, bringing his rebounding prowess to the postseason as well.

Kerr will probably go down best remembered as a coach, thanks to his run with the Warriors, but he was a fine player before he started to patrol the sidelines. Kerr was a sharpshooter for four title-winning teams in Second City, and he has the best three-point-shooting percentage in Bulls history. He also tops the franchise rankings in offensive rating.

After being the first-overall pick, Brand spent only two years with the Bulls. They were two great years, though. In his first season, he won Rookie of the Year. In both of his campaigns in Chicago he averaged 20.1 points per game, and he averaged 10.0 and 10.1 rebounds per contest as well. Brand is sixth in points and rebounds per game in Bulls history and fifth in blocks per game. It was a brief run, but it was impressive.

The ‘70s are something of a lost decade in the NBA, but Van Lier plied his trade through that entire time. His playmaking at point guard helped turn him into a three-time All-Star, and he averaged 6.9 dimes per game in Chicago. That’s second in franchise history behind a guy who played in only two seasons (shout out to Ennis Whatley). On top of that, Stormin’ Norman was a great defender.

Shout out to being a steady veteran presence. Nobody is going to call Hinrich a great player. What he was, though, was a good, reliable guard who played 11 seasons with Chicago. Thanks in part to his solid defensive play, he ranks 11th in career win shares in franchise history. The highs were never really that high, though, which is why he ranks only 13th.

Rose is basically the inverse of Hinrich. The highs were incredibly high. He won the MVP in the 2010-11 season at the age of 22, the youngest player to ever do it. Then a couple of years later he tore his ACL, and injuries started to become a recurring problem. He was never the same. Rose remained a decent player after returning, but he never reached the same highs, and eventually the Bulls moved on. His off-the-court issues also have cast a shadow over his basketball exploits.

Kukoc came over from Europe as a 25-year-old in his prime, joined the Bulls and proceeded to be a key cog for seven seasons, including three titles. In addition to being a pretty good scorer, the Croatian could pass, and he had a knack for the steal as well. Twice he finished in the top 10 in win shares per 48 minutes, and he was named the Sixth Man of the Year in the 1995-96 season to boot.

Before he was a Hall of Fame coach, and Hall of Fame curmudgeon, Sloan played guard for the Bulls for 10 seasons. He made two All-Star Games in the ‘60s and finished with an average of 14.7 points per contest. His real strength was on the other side of the ball, though. Sloan was named to an All-Defense team six times. Given his personality as a coach, that makes sense.

Love was a bit of a volume scorer in the ‘70s; he’s second in two-point field-goal attempts in Bulls history, but it worked. In each of the five full seasons he played in Chicago, he averaged over 20 points per game, earning three All-Star Game spots in the process. He was also All-NBA twice. His 21.3 points per game as a Bull is third-highest ever. Had he played in a different era, he might be a bit higher.

Butler seems like a pain in the neck as a teammate, but you can’t argue with his performance on the court. Thibs ran him into the ground in Chicago — he averaged over 36 minutes per game for four straight seasons — but it seemed like Butler thrived on it. He was an All-Star in his final three seasons, then got himself traded to Minnesota in a huff. Despite that, he’s eighth in win shares in franchise history. He could have been a true Bulls legend, but the personality didn’t let it happen.

Deng was the ultimate glue guy, until he was finally honored with two All-Star Game spots. In each of those years he led the league in minutes per game, so he certainly earned it. Deng played 10 years with the Bulls, averaging 16.1 points while also contributing rebounds and assists. Given how many minutes he played, it’s probably not surprising to find out he’s in the top 10 in many statistical categories in Chicago history.

Like his teammate Rose, Noah was great until injuries started to wear him down. He wasn’t great offensively in his nine years in Chicago, but he was tremendous defensively. He was All-Defense three times, and in fact, he was Defensive Player of the Year once. Noah made only two All-Star Games, but that seems like it underserved him. Advanced stats have been kind to his legacy, though. He’s tied for third in box plus/minus in Bulls history.

After spending the ‘60s in Philadelphia, Walker moved to Chicago for the ‘70s. He was still at the end of his prime, though, so he was able to make four All-Star teams. Walker is a Hall of Famer, and though only half his career was with the Bulls, that means he spent half a Hall-of-Fame career in the Windy City.

Grant had a long, long career, but it started in Chicago. He’s eighth in all-time minutes played with the Bulls, which is partially how he’s also able to rank in the top 10 in total rebounds, blocks and steals. Sure, he was an All-Star just once, but he’s fifth in career win shares among Bulls players.

Gilmore was an ABA legend, but he then became a Bulls legend after making the move to the NBA. In six seasons with the Bulls in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, he was an All-Star four times. He was an efficient scorer, as he twice led the league in effective field-goal percentage with the Bulls (four times overall in the NBA). Gilmore got named to the ABA’s All-Time Team, and if we made a Kentucky Colonels list, he would be No. 1 with a bullet. But in Chicago he was a great player as well.

Pippen is destined to go down as the ultimate second banana. For many teams, he might be the top player in franchise history. Of course, these are the Bulls, so you know who is No. 1. Pippen was truly a great player in his own right, though. He was All-NBA seven times and All-Defense a whopping 10 times. Plus, there are the six rings he was a vital reason for.

C’mon. Of course it’s Jordan. Many people consider him the best player ever. He was MVP five times. He turned Nike into a monolith. He starred in a movie even though he can’t act! Jordan was the best player on six title-winning teams. He leads the Bulls in basically every statistical category. His Airness averaged over 30 points per game in Chicago. Jordan is the Bulls, and the Bulls are Jordan.