NBA franchise story

Chicago Bulls

Chicago's story contains the sport's most famous dynasty, but it is larger than one decade: the Sloan–Love teams established the franchise, Jordan and Pippen made it global, and Derrick Rose gave the city its first true post-dynasty contender.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Chicago Bulls.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Chicago Bulls: 50 seasons of franchise history ↗

The beginning

Franchise era

1966–67—1975–76

Jerry Sloan

Bob Love

Norm Van Lier

Defense and toughness before the dynasty

The expansion team that competed immediately

Chicago reached the playoffs in its first season and built a bruising 1970s contender around Sloan, Love, Van Lier, Walker and Tom Boerwinkle.

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Chapter 01

1966–67—1975–76

Franchise era

1976–77—1983–84

Artis Gilmore

Reggie Theus

Orlando Woolridge

A star center without a stable contender

Artis Gilmore and the long middle

Gilmore supplied an elite interior anchor, but Chicago spent most of the period searching for the next durable core.

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Chapter 02

1976–77—1983–84

Franchise era

1984–85—1989–90

Michael Jordan

Scottie Pippen

Horace Grant

The superstar arrives; the championship cast forms

Jordan rises

Jordan transformed the franchise instantly. Pippen and Grant arrived in 1987, and repeated losses to Detroit taught the Bulls what their first title would require.

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Chapter 03

1984–85—1989–90

Franchise era

1990–91—1997–98

Michael Jordan

Scottie Pippen

Dennis Rodman

Two three-peats and a global dynasty

Six championships

The triangle offense, Jordan's scoring, Pippen's versatility and two distinct supporting casts produced six titles in eight seasons.

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Chapter 04

1990–91—1997–98

Franchise era

1998–99—2007–08

Elton Brand

Kirk Hinrich

Ben Gordon

From teardown to the Baby Bulls

Rebuilding after the dynasty

The immediate teardown produced years of losses before Hinrich, Gordon and Deng restored playoff basketball and a new defensive edge.

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Chapter 05

1998–99—2007–08

Franchise era

2008–09—2015–16

Derrick Rose

Joakim Noah

Luol Deng

A hometown MVP and Thibodeau defense

The D-Rose Bulls

Rose became the youngest MVP, Chicago won 62 games and reached the 2011 conference finals. His ACL injury changed the ceiling, but Noah, Butler and the defense kept the era competitive.

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Chapter 06

2008–09—2015–16

Franchise era

2016–17—present