The Chicago Bulls is one of the more well-known basketball teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their claim to fame, of course, is fielding the greatest basketball player of all time who was the dream of any sports enthusiast, especially the ones that enjoy sports betting at websites like sbobet.
That player, of course, is Michael Jordan, who led the most amazing team ever to win the NBA championships six times. (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998). That dream team was composed of the best players at the time, with the likes of Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr.
Topping it off was one of the most prolific coaches in NBA history – the notorious but incredible Phil Jackson. That trifecta of greatest player, team, and coach are the secrets to the Bull’s success during those seasons.
The Chicago Bulls is a relatively young team for NBA standards, being established only in 1966. They had a strong start with a team composed of greats like Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, and Jerry Sloan.
The Bulls did pretty well and qualified for the playoffs every year from 1969 to 1975. However, they never did advance past the first round, only accomplishing it twice during that period.
The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a slump in the Bulls’ performance. The departure of their star players compounded this. In 1984, the Bulls drafted a then-unknown player, Michael Jordan. The pick paid off, as Jordan won Rookie of the Year during that season.
However, a Finals appearance or even a Championship trophy was still out of reach. Jordan, for all his brilliance, lacked a good team to back him up. That changed in 1987 when the Bulls drafted Scottie Pippen. The final key to the puzzle arrived in 1990 with the arrival of coach Phil Jackson.
Their very first title came when they swept long-time rivals Detriot Pistons in the semifinals, and beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. Michael Jordan retired prematurely in 1993. His absence fueled a slump in the Bulls’ performance. His subsequent return, however, re-energized the team in time to win another title in 1996.
After a string of successes, Phil Jackson finally retired after the 1997-1998 season because of discontent with the Bulls’ management team. Jackson’s move also trigged the final retirement of Michael Jordan and the transfer of the team’s two other top players – Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
This breakup ended the Bull’s dominance over the NBA, as they finished with the second-worst record for the next four seasons.
Since then, the Bulls have seen two major phases of strong performance in the following years. One of them was at the start of the 2004-2005 season, led by the
talented Derrick Rose. The team rose through the ranks with one of the best performances during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.
The other was a much shorter period during the 2016-2017 season with the inclusion of Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler on the team. With the departure of the two in the following season, the Chicago Bulls is in yet another phase of attempting to win back its former glory.
