Welcome to the Chicago Bulls’ history books, Jimmy Butler. The Marquette kid poured in 52 points in the Bulls’ 118-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. It was a season high for Butler, and just one point shy of his career high 53 points in an overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers on January 14, 2016. In the present tense, it meant a much-needed win for a struggling Bulls team playing without Jimmy’s sidekick Dwyane Wade. But looking back on Bulls history, it meant so much more.
The Big 5-0
Butler became only the second Bulls player in franchise history with multiple 50-point games. Can you guess who the other one is? Michael Jeffrey Jordan, obviously. The GOAT had 30, that’s right THIRTY games with 50 or more points over his illustrious Bulls career. So Butler’s got a ways to go before coming anywhere near that legendary status. Still, it’s an impressive feat for the 27 year old. Jordan was the #3 overall pick when he entered the league, and an immediate sensation as Rookie of the Year. Butler, on the other hand, had little fanfare when taken with the 30th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. Nobody expected this kind of star-level production from Jimmy G Buckets.
Only two other players have hit the 50 mark in a Bulls uniform.
Chet “The Jet” Walker played six of his thirteen NBA seasons in Chicago. He made 4 of his 7 All Star appearances as a member of the Bulls spanning 1970-1974. The small forward dropped in 56 points on February 6, 1972. Chicago beat the Cincinnati Royals 119-94. Walker was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jamal Crawford, whom the Bulls acquired from Cleveland on draft day in 2000, spent his first four NBA seasons in Chicago. In his third to last game ever wearing a Bulls jersey, Crawford scored 50 points against the Toronto Raptors on April 11, 2004. The Bulls won in overtime, 114-108 thanks to 51 tireless minutes from Crawford. Now in his 18th season, the ageless guard is still playing meaningful minutes with the L.A. Clippers, where he’s played since 2012.
Congrats to Jimmy Butler for joining Jordan in this elite club! Now if only he had some help from his teammates on a more consistent basis.
