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The Chicago Bulls are so fortunate that the Portland Trail Blazers passed on Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft. Think about how different the Bulls and Blazers would be viewed today if Jordan played for Portland and won his rings there instead of in Chicago?
Jordan established himself as the greatest shooting guard and player in NBA history, so naturally, he's the best player to ever don the Chicago uniform.
However, there are some other great shooting guards in Bulls franchise history besides Jordan. Let's take a look at who some of them are.
4. Jimmy Butler
Butler was the 30th overall pick in the 2011 draft. He came into the league as a defensive specialist, but quickly turned himself into an elite two-way guard.
After averaging single digits in his first two years in the NBA, Butler put up 13.1 points during the 2013-14 season. The swingman was turning heads left and right with his defense and driving ability.
The 2014-15 season was Butler’s breakout season in the NBA. He averaged 20.0 points per game and won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Jimmy also made his first All-Star team.
From 2014-2017, Butler averaged 21.7 points for the Bulls. During the 2015-16 season, Butler scored a career-high 53 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, firmly establishing himself as one of the top shooting guards in the NBA.
Butler finished his Bulls career with averages of 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Chicago traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the summer of 2017. The Bulls haven't been good ever since.
3. Ben Gordon
When Gordon used to get hot for the Bulls, there was no better show in the NBA.
The Bulls drafted Gordon with the third overall pick in the 2004 draft out of UConn. He made an immediate impact in the NBA for the Bulls, winning the 2005 Sixth Man of the Year Award by averaging 15.1 points per game off Chicago's bench.
Gordon scored 48 points for the Bulls once. He finished his Chicago career with averages of 18.5 points. Gordon is second in Bulls franchise history in 3-point field goals. He hit 770 shots from beyond the arc with Chicago.
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Gordon made a mistake by signing with the Detroit Pistons in the summer of 2009. He should have stayed with the Bulls and grown with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.
2. Jerry Sloan
The Bulls drafted Sloan from the Baltimore Bullets in the 1966 NBA expansion draft. The Hall of Famer averaged 17.4 points per game in his first season with the Bulls, making the All-Star team as well.
Sloan finished his Bulls career with averages of 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2009.
Sloan is fifth in Bulls franchise history in points. He scored 10,233.
1. Michael Jordan
Where do we even begin with the GOAT?
Let's start with the easy stuff. Jordan finished his Bulls career with averages of 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He won six championships — going 6-0 — six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs and 10 scoring titles with the Bulls. He was also the 1988 Defensive Player of the Year and the 1985 Rookie of the Year.
Jordan scored 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28, 1990. MJ also averaged 33.4 points per game in the playoffs for his career, including 43.7 points per contest during the 1986 playoffs.
Jordan is the Bulls' all-time leader in games, field goals, free-throws, total rebounds, assists, steals, points, points per game, player efficiency rating and win shares.
