The Chicago Bulls will honor 13 former players, coaches and executives and one team this week with induction into the franchise’s Ring of Honor. This first class includes superstars such as Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson and the 1995-96 team that set an NBA record with 72 wins.
The Bulls won’t introduce another Ring of Honor class until 2026. So who should be next on the list?
Selections for future classes will have to clear a high bar. Every former player in the inaugural class either is enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame or has had his jersey retired by the Bulls. The coaches and front-office members selected — Jackson, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause and Tex Winter — are synonymous with Bulls basketball.
The 2026 class won’t include players such as Derrick Rose or Pau Gasol because of the qualifications the Bulls set for selection: Players must have been retired for at least three years and must have played at least three seasons with the Bulls.
Here are five potential picks for the next class.
1. Horace Grant
Years with Bulls: 1987-94
A key figure on the teams that won three consecutive titles between 1991 and 1993, Grant defined the Bulls defense during the first half of their decade of dominance. He was a four-time All-Defensive selection for the Bulls and made the critical block to clinch Game 5 of the 1993 NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns.
He returned to the team in 2016 to serve as a Bulls ambassador and adviser.
2. The 1990-91 team
This was the first Bulls team to clear the final hurdle, ushering in an era of dominance that saw the franchise win six titles in eight years.
The Bulls went 61-21 in the 1990-91 regular season, and Jordan won his first MVP award. They swept the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals before beating Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
Along with inaugural Ring of Honor inductees Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the roster included longtime members of the franchise such as John Paxson, Will Perdue and Stacey King. The Bulls also drafted Toni Kukoc in 1990, although the young star did not come to Chicago until 1993.
3. Dick Motta
Years with Bulls: 1968-76
An important leader in the early years of the franchise, Motta was the second coach in Bulls history.
He led them to four consecutive 50-win seasons from 1970-71 to 1973-74, winning Coach of the Year in 1971. Although he never took the team past the Western Conference finals, Motta finished his run with the Bulls with a 356-300 record.
4. Joakim Noah
Years with Bulls: 2007-16
Noah is the most contemporary player who is likely to land in the next class of the Ring of Honor.
Over nine seasons with the Bulls, he was a two-time All-Star and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. Although he never was able to lead the Bulls past the conference finals, Noah was a staple of the team’s most recent stretch of success from 2011 to 2015.
5. Norm Van Lier
Years with Bulls: 1971-78
Another key member of the early era of the Bulls, Van Lier was one of the most popular players in Chicago — and the league — in the 1970s.
He was a three-time All-Star with the Bulls and earned three All-Defensive honors. After his playing career, Van Lier returned to Chicago to serve as a Bulls radio announcer from 1980 to 1982, then as the team’s pre- and postgame television analyst from 1992 until his death in 2009.