NBA Bulls

Many professional basketball teams have tremendous legends, a lengthy history and a devoted fanbase, but since the early 1990s, the NBA Bulls have become synonymous with greatness. Through the 2001-02 season, the team had won just over 1500 games in franchise history, with 463 of those victories coming during the decade that saw Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper and company win six NBA Championships. Also during that time, the Chicago basketball franchise saw its attendance spike by an incredible margin. More than 900,000 total fans attended Bulls home games five times during the six seasons starting in 1994-95 and lasting through the 1999-00 campaign, and Chicago Bulls merchandise was literally everywhere. For a franchise that had already been around for more than 30 years at the time, it was an almost unreal explosion in both on the court success and off the court popularity, making the Chicago Bulls one of the NBA's foremost franchises.

Early Years of the NBA Bulls

It may surprise people to know that the NBA Bulls are actually the third professional basketball team to play in the Windy City, with the Chicago Stags of the BAA and the Chicago Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) leading the way. The Bulls joined the NBA for the 1966-67 season, and their 33-48 record was the best ever at the time for an expansion team. They reached the playoffs that season and in eight of their first nine seasons of existence. In the 1970s, with Jerrt Sloan and Bob Love leading the way, the franchise won their first ever division title, going 47-35 and claiming the Midwest Division championship. Many players came and went, including Artis Gilmore, Chet Walker, Orland Woolridge, Reggie Theus and Dave Corzine, but the Bulls were never able to reach the NBA Finals. Not until they drafted a certain guard out of North Carolina in 1984, that is. Then the course of Chicago Bulls basketball was changed forever.