Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1966, the franchise began play in the 1966–67 NBA season as an expansion team, making it the third NBA franchise in Chicago after the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) and the Chicago Stags. The Bulls were the first NBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season, finishing 33–48.

During the 1990s, the Bulls assembled one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, winning six championships in eight years across two separate three-peats (1991–1993 and 1996–1998), all led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and head coach Phil Jackson. The 1995–96 team set a then-NBA record with 72 regular-season wins. The franchise has never lost an NBA Finals series, maintaining a perfect 6–0 record in championship appearances.

Following the breakup of the dynasty after 1998, the Bulls entered a period of rebuilding. The team returned to prominence under Tom Thibodeau, reaching the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals and posting a 62-win season in 2011–12. Since then, the Bulls have made the playoffs sporadically but have not advanced past the first round since 2015. The team is currently rebuilding around a young core led by guards Zach LaVine and Coby White.[edit]

The Chicago Bulls were founded as an expansion team in 1966. Their original home was the International Amphitheatre, where they played for one season before moving to the Chicago Stadium in 1967. The team struggled in its early years, but the arrival of Michael Jordan in 1984 changed everything. Under Jordan, the Bulls became a perennial playoff contender, finally breaking through in 1991 by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers to win their first NBA championship. They repeated in 1992 and 1993, completing a three-peat.

After Jordan's first retirement, the Bulls rebuilt around Scottie Pippen and added Dennis Rodman. With Jordan's return in 1995, the team won 72 games in the 1995–96 season, then an NBA record, and captured three more championships from 1996 to 1998. Following Jackson's departure and Jordan's second retirement, the Bulls entered a long rebuilding phase. The team drafted Derrick Rose in 2008, and he led them to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, winning the MVP award. Injuries derailed Rose's career, and the Bulls have not reached the conference finals since. In recent years, the team has undergone multiple roster overhauls, trading for Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan, but has yet to return to title contention.[edit]