Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and 11 other legendary Chicago Bulls players, coaches and executives will be honored in January as the team celebrates its history with the creation of a Ring of Honor.
The Bulls announced the inaugural class Tuesday. In addition to Jordan and Jackson, it includes Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Toni Kukoc, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winter.
The entire 1995-96 team — which went 72-10 on its way to the NBA championship, the Bulls’ fourth of six titles in an eight-year span — also will be inducted into the Ring of Honor. That includes players Jordan, Kukoc, Pippen, Rodman, Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, John Salley, Dickey Simpkins and Bill Wennington; coaches Jackson, Winter, Jim Cleamons, Erik Helland, John Paxson and Jimmy Rodgers; and front-office members Krause, Ivica Dukan, Clarence Gaines Jr., John Ligmanowski, Chip Schaefer, Jim Stack and Al Vermeil.
The inaugural class will be celebrated at a private gala at the United Center on Jan. 11 and during halftime of the Jan. 12 game against the Golden State Warriors. The team will have Ring of Honor memorabilia and other experiences in the UC atrium from Jan. 10 to 12.
“The Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor will be a first-of-its-kind celebration honoring many of the legends who have helped shape our organization over the past 57 years,” Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “They have deep connections to our fans and community and represent a spirit of competition, hard work and toughness. This January, we look forward to cementing their legacy in Bulls history and inspiring the future of our organization.”
The Bulls will add to the Ring of Honor every two years. Each class will include a group of individuals and a team. Future player honorees must be retired for at least three years and must have played at least three seasons with the Bulls.
Every player selected to the inaugural class either is enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame or has had his jersey retired by the Bulls.
Here’s a closer look at the 13 members of the inaugural class.
Artis Gilmore
Years with Bulls: 1976-82, 1987
The first selection in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft, Gilmore was a dominating force on both ends of the court. He was a four-time All-Star during his initial six seasons with the Bulls, commanding both the offense and the defense. Known for his workhorse nature in the post, Gilmore’s strength and tenacity made him one of the sport’s great big men.
Phil Jackson
Years with Bulls: 1987-89 (assistant coach), 1989-98 (head coach)
Few coaches have defined a franchise the way Jackson defined the Bulls during his nine-year tenure as head coach. He helmed them to six NBA championships and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1996. The Bulls won 50 or more games in all but one of his seasons as head coach. He remains the most successful coach in franchise history with a 545-193 (.738) regular-season record and a 111-41 (.730) playoff record. After leaving Chicago in the wake of the 1998 championship, Jackson went on to win five more championships in 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, surpassing Red Auerbach’s record for NBA titles.
Michael Jordan
Years with Bulls: 1984-93, 1995-98
The automatic first pick for induction into the Ring of Honor, Jordan is synonymous with both the Bulls and Chicago. A six-time NBA champion, six-time NBA Finals MVP, five-time league MVP and 14-time All-Star, Jordan carved out a new style and a new set of expectations for stardom in the sport. While the debate over “greatest of all time” will continue to rage on with each passing year, it’s clear Jordan remains the greatest to wear a Bulls jersey.
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Johnny “Red” Kerr
Years with Bulls: 1966-68 (head coach), 1975-2008 (broadcaster)
A Chicago native who played at Tilden and Illinois, Kerr is a beloved figure for the Bulls as both a coach and broadcaster. He brought in star guard — and fellow Ring of Honor inductee — Jerry Sloan in the 1966 expansion draft and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1967. Kerr became the team’s color commentator in 1975 and provided indelible commentary for key moments in the playoff runs throughout the 1990s, including his call for “The Shot”: Michael Jordan’s game-winner against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of a 1989 first-round series. A statue commemorating Kerr was unveiled in 2009 and remains inside the United Center atrium.
Dick Klein
Years with Bulls: 1966-72
A founding father of the Bulls, Klein is the reason professional basketball came back to Chicago and stayed. He wrangled the backing necessary to secure an NBA expansion franchise in 1966, then crafted the team’s name and colors. Klein became the team’s first general manager and hired early icons including Johnny “Red” Kerr and Jerry Sloan. He remained a team owner until 1972, when he orchestrated the sale of the team to Arthur Wirtz after establishing the team’s basis of popularity in the city.
Jerry Krause
Years with Bulls: 1985-2003
While the most iconic seasons in Bulls history are most prominently connected to players such as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Krause’s guidance in the front office was indispensable to that run. He was influential in bringing Tex Winter and the triangle offense to the Bulls and building a successful roster around Jordan. Krause was responsible for the acquisition of stars such as Pippen, Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc and negotiated trades for key players such as Dennis Rodman. He was named NBA Executive of the Year in 1988 and 1996 in addition to winning six NBA titles with the Bulls.
Toni Kukoc
Years with Bulls: 1993-2000
Despite reporting to Chicago three years after the Bulls drafted him in 1990, Kukoc quickly won over Bulls fans with his versatility as a scorer during the first wave of international players finding success in the NBA. Kukoc won three consecutive NBA titles with the Bulls from 1996-98 and earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors in 1996. He remains a special adviser to Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf.
Bob Love
Years with Bulls: 1968-76
A key part of the Bulls’ early success under coach Dick Motta, Love was a three-time All-Star during his nine seasons with the team. He held the Bulls scoring record (12,623 points) until Michael Jordan broke it, and his No. 10 was the second jersey number the Bulls retired after his teammate Jerry Sloan’s No. 4. Love held his wedding at the United Center and joined the front office in 1991.
Scottie Pippen
Years with Bulls: 1987-98; 2003-04
Pippen was the powerful second half of the one-two punch that led the Bulls to six NBA championships in eight years alongside Michael Jordan. He was a seven-time All-Star and led the league in steals in 1994-95. He also won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. national team. Pippen was transformative for the Bulls, bringing a lethal combination of scoring, ball distribution, rebounding and defense that helped push the team over the top.
Dennis Rodman
Years with Bulls: 1995-98
After serving as a villain in the Bulls-Pistons rivalry in the late 1980s and early ’90s, Rodman came to Chicago in a 1995 trade that set the stage for the second three-peat. He was the NBA’s rebounding champion in all three seasons with the Bulls, bringing a physical edge and defensive talent the team needed to round out Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan.
Jerry Sloan
Years with Bulls: 1966-76 (player), 1978-79 (assistant coach), 1979-82 (head coach).
Sloan’s No. 4 jersey was the first retired by the Bulls, a reflection of the impact he left as an early trailblazer for the team. Selected in the 1966 expansion draft, Sloan quickly became the face of the franchise and led the Bulls to their first division title. He went on to serve as head coach for three years, leading the Bulls to the playoffs once in his tenure. Although time as a coach was short in Chicago, Sloan became a legendary coach during 23 seasons with the Utah Jazz.
Chet Walker
Years with Bulls: 1969-1975
An star forward with the Philadelphia 76ers, Walker played the last six seasons of his career with the Bulls, making four All-Star teams, averaging more than 20 points per game and helping lead the team to six consecutive playoff berths. He partnered with Bob Love, Norm Van Lier and Jerry Sloan to lift the Bulls to four consecutive 50-win seasons.
Tex Winter
Years with Bulls: 1985-99
It’s rare for an individual to enter a franchise’s Ring of Honor for work as an assistant coach — but Winter was no ordinary assistant. His role in the perfection and implementation of the triangle offense ushered in a new era for the sport in Chicago, the NBA and worldwide. Winter provided key guidance to Phil Jackson to help craft and adapt the offense that won six NBA titles between 1991 and 1998, a contribution that earned him induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
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