The Chicago Bulls are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Chicago, Illinois. Dick Klein founded the Bulls in 1966 after a number of other professional basketball teams in Chicago had failed. In their 53 seasons, the Bulls have achieved a winning record 25 times, and have appeared in the NBA playoffs 35 times. They received international recognition in the 1990s when All-Star shooting guard Michael Jordan led them to their six league championships. The only three NBA franchises that have won more championships than the Bulls are the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers (17 Championships each), and the Golden State Warriors with 7. The Bulls are the only NBA franchise as of 2022 to have a combination of multiple championships and zero losses in the NBA Finals (the San Antonio Spurs are the closest other franchise to this mark, but the 2013 Finals loss to Miami has given the Spurs an all-time Finals record of 5–1).

The Bulls initially competed in the NBA's Western Division. The Western Division was renamed the Western Conference in 1970, and was split into the Midwest and Pacific Divisions. The Bulls played in the Midwest Division until 1980, when they moved to the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.

During their inaugural season (1966–67), the Bulls compiled a 33–48 record under coach Johnny "Red" Kerr and reached the playoffs. This was the best record achieved by an NBA expansion team in its first year of play, a feat which earned Kerr the NBA Coach of the Year Award. Dick Motta replaced Kerr in 1969, and under his leadership, the Bulls appeared in the playoffs every year from 1970 to 1975. The team reached the Western Conference finals in 1974 and 1975, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Key players during the Motta era included Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Chet Walker, Norm Van Lier, and Tom Boerwinkle. Revered basketball writer Bob Ryan wrote that Sloan and Van Lier comprised the "physically and mentally toughest NBA backcourt" he ever saw.

The Bulls qualified for the playoffs just twice between 1976 and 1984, a period in which the team used eight different head coaches, including former player Jerry Sloan. They had a chance to win the first pick of the 1979 NBA draft, which would have allowed them to select future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. However, they lost a coin flip to the Los Angeles Lakers, and went on to choose David Greenwood with the second pick. Although Greenwood averaged 12.6 points over six seasons with the Bulls, he never became an NBA All-Star. During this period the Bulls were perhaps best known for being led by former-ABA star Artis Gilmore and Reggie Theus, both of whom were multiple time All-Stars with the Bulls.

The Bulls' luck turned for the better after selecting Michael Jordan with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft. Considered the greatest basketball player of all time by NBA.com, Jordan averaged 28.2 points per game during his first season and received the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. From 1985 onwards, the Bulls reached the playoffs every season he was on the team's roster despite having had a losing record in each of his first three years. Jordan could not lead the Bulls past the first round of the playoffs by himself losing to the champion Celtics and in 1987 general manager Jerry Krause acquired Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant at that summer's draft. In 1989, the Bulls played in their first conference finals series since 1975, losing to the Detroit Pistons. Coach Phil Jackson, an assistant since 1987, succeeded Doug Collins as head coach after that season and in 1991, the team won their first of three consecutive NBA championships by defeating Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Then they won two more consecutive titles in 1992 and 1993 after which Michael Jordan retired.

Although the Bulls signed European standout Toni Kukoč to help alleviate the loss, despite only two less wins from the year before, they could not extend their championship streak, falling short in hard fought 7 games battle to the New York Knicks in the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bulls lost Horace Grant, who signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent during the summer of 1994. However, Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and lost in 1995 NBA Playoff despite posting one of his best numbers and close to his playoff average and with the added help of rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, the team won three more championships from 1996 to 1998. The 1995–96 Bulls won a then-record 72 regular season games (out of 82) and are widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

After the Bulls won their sixth championship, Phil Jackson was not re-signed and spent some time away from basketball. Michael Jordan then announced his second retirement, because general manager Jerry Krause wanted to begin rebuilding the roster with younger athletes. Six players from the 1997–98 Bulls (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Jud Buechler, and Scott Burrell) joined other teams through free agency or sign-and-trade deals, and with few established players left on the roster, the Bulls missed the 1999 playoffs. This began a six-year playoff drought, the longest such drought in team history.

The Bulls showed signs of improvement after hiring coach Scott Skiles in 2003, reaching the playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Some of the primary contributors on those teams were Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls' new playoff streak ended in 2008, when the team finished fourth in their division with a 33–49 record. After the season, the team hired a new coach, Vinny Del Negro. The Bulls' poor record did help them win the 2008 NBA draft lottery, which allowed them to select Derrick Rose with the first pick in the NBA draft. They made the 2009 NBA playoffs, only to lose in a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics which included a record seven overtime periods. In 2010, Del Negro was replaced by Tom Thibodeau, and the Bulls reached the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, losing to the Miami Heat in five games.

ASG MVP	All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
COY	Coach of the Year
DPOY	Defensive Player of the Year
Finish	Final position in league or division standings
GB	Games behind first-place team in division
Losses	Number of regular season losses
EOY	Executive of the Year
FMVP	Finals Most Valuable Player
MVP	Most Valuable Player
ROY	Rookie of the Year
SIX	Sixth Man of the Year
SPOR	Sportsmanship Award
Wins	Number of regular season wins

Note: Statistics are correct as of the 2020–21 season.

NBA champions

Conference champions

Division champions

Playoff berth

Play-in berth

Season	Team	Conference	Finish	Division	Finish	Wins	Losses	Win%	GB	Playoffs	Awards	Head coach
1966–67	1966–67	—	—	Western	4th	33	48	.407	11	Lost Division semifinals (Hawks) 3–0	Johnny Kerr (COY)	Johnny Kerr
1967–68	1967–68	—	—	Western	4th	29	53	.354	27	Lost Division semifinals (Lakers) 4–1	—
1968–69	1968–69	—	—	Western	5th	33	49	.402	22		—	Dick Motta
1969–70	1969–70	—	—	Western	3rd	39	43	.476	9	Lost Division semifinals (Hawks) 4–1	—
1970–71	1970–71	Western	3rd	Midwest	2nd	51	31	.622	2	Lost conference semifinals (Lakers) 4–3	Dick Motta (COY)
1971–72	1971–72	Western	3rd	Midwest	2nd	57	25	.695	6	Lost conference semifinals (Lakers) 4–0	—
1972–73	1972–73	Western	3rd	Midwest	2nd	51	31	.622	9	Lost conference semifinals (Lakers) 4–3	—
1973–74	1973–74	Western	3rd	Midwest	2nd	54	28	.659	9	Won conference semifinals (Pistons) 4–3 Lost conference finals (Bucks) 4–0	—
1974–75	1974–75	Western	2nd	Midwest	1st	47	35	.573	—	Won conference semifinals (Kings) 4–2 Lost conference finals (Warriors) 4–3	—
1975–76	1975–76	Western	9th	Midwest	4th	24	58	.293	14		—
1976–77	1976–77	Western	6th	Midwest	3rd	44	38	.537	6	Lost First round (Trail Blazers) 2–1	—	Ed Badger
1977–78	1977–78	Western	8th	Midwest	3rd	40	42	.488	8		—
1978–79	1978–79	Western	11th	Midwest	5th	31	51	.378	17		—	Larry Costello Scotty Robertson
1979–80	1979–80	Western	9th	Midwest	4th	30	52	.366	19		—	Jerry Sloan
1980–81	1980–81	Eastern	5th	Central	2nd	45	37	.549	15	Won First round (Knicks) 2–0 Lost conference semifinals (Celtics) 4–0	—
1981–82	1981–82	Eastern	9th	Central	5th	34	48	.415	21		—	Jerry Sloan Phil Johnson Rod Thorn
1982–83	1982–83	Eastern	9th	Central	4th	28	54	.341	23		—	Paul Westhead
1983–84	1983–84	Eastern	10th	Central	5th	27	55	.329	23		—	Kevin Loughery
1984–85	1984–85	Eastern	7th	Central	3rd	38	44	.463	21	Lost First round (Bucks) 3–1	Michael Jordan (ROY)
1985–86	1985–86	Eastern	8th	Central	4th	30	52	.366	27	Lost First round (Celtics) 3–0	—	Stan Albeck
1986–87	1986–87	Eastern	8th	Central	5th	40	42	.488	17	Lost First round (Celtics) 3–0	—	Doug Collins
1987–88	1987–88	Eastern	3rd	Central	2nd	50	32	.610	4	Won First round (Cavaliers) 3–2 Lost conference semifinals (Pistons) 4–1	Michael Jordan (MVP, DPOY, ASG MVP) Jerry Krause (EOY)
1988–89	1988–89	Eastern	6th	Central	5th	47	35	.573	16	Won First round (Cavaliers) 3–2 Won conference semifinals (Knicks) 4–2 Lost conference finals (Pistons) 4–2	—
1989–90	1989–90	Eastern	3rd	Central	2nd	55	27	.671	4	Won First round (Bucks) 3–1 Won conference semifinals (76ers) 4–1 Lost conference finals (Pistons) 4–3	—	Phil Jackson
1990–91	1990–91	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	61	21	.744	—	Won First round (Knicks) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (76ers) 4–1 Won conference finals (Pistons) 4–0 Won NBA Finals (Lakers) 4–1	Michael Jordan (MVP, FMVP)
1991–92	1991–92	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	67	15	.817	—	Won First round (Heat) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (Knicks) 4–3 Won conference finals (Cavaliers) 4–2 Won NBA Finals (Trail Blazers) 4–2	Michael Jordan (MVP, FMVP)
1992–93	1992–93	Eastern	2nd	Central	1st	57	25	.695	—	Won First round (Hawks) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (Cavaliers) 4–0 Won conference finals (Knicks) 4–2 Won NBA Finals (Suns) 4–2	Michael Jordan (FMVP)
1993–94	1993–94	Eastern	3rd	Central	2nd	55	27	.671	2	Won First round (Cavaliers) 3–0 Lost conference semifinals (Knicks) 4–3	Scottie Pippen (ASG MVP)
1994–95	1994–95	Eastern	5th	Central	3rd	47	35	.573	5	Won First round (Hornets) 3–1 Lost conference semifinals (Magic) 4–2	—
1995–96	1995–96	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	72	10	.878	—	Won First round (Heat) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (Knicks) 4–1 Won conference finals (Magic) 4–0 Won NBA Finals (SuperSonics) 4–2	Michael Jordan (MVP, FMVP, ASG MVP) Phil Jackson (COY) Jerry Krause (EOY) Toni Kukoč (SIX)
1996–97	1996–97	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	69	13	.841	—	Won First round (Bullets) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (Hawks) 4–1 Won conference finals (Heat) 4–1 Won NBA Finals (Jazz) 4–2	Michael Jordan (FMVP)
1997–98	1997–98	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	62	20	.756	—	Won First round (Nets) 3–0 Won conference semifinals (Hornets) 4–1 Won conference finals (Pacers) 4–3 Won NBA Finals (Jazz) 4–2	Michael Jordan (MVP, FMVP, ASG MVP)
1998–99	1998–99	Eastern	15th	Central	8th	13	37	.260	20		—	Tim Floyd
1999–2000	1999–2000	Eastern	15th	Central	8th	17	65	.207	39		Elton Brand (ROY)
2000–01	2000–01	Eastern	15th	Central	8th	15	67	.183	37		—
2001–02	2001–02	Eastern	15th	Central	8th	21	61	.256	29		—	Tim Floyd Bill Berry Bill Cartwright
2002–03	2002–03	Eastern	12th	Central	6th	30	52	.366	20		—	Bill Cartwright
2003–04	2003–04	Eastern	14th	Central	8th	23	59	.280	38		—	Bill Cartwright Pete Myers Scott Skiles
2004–05	2004–05	Eastern	4th	Central	2nd	47	35	.573	7	Lost First round (Wizards) 4–2	Ben Gordon (SIX)	Scott Skiles
2005–06	2005–06	Eastern	7th	Central	4th	41	41	.500	23	Lost First round (Heat) 4–2	—
2006–07	2006–07	Eastern	5th	Central	3rd	49	33	.598	4	Won First round (Heat) 4–0 Lost conference semifinals (Pistons) 4–2	Luol Deng (SPOR)
2007–08	2007–08	Eastern	11th	Central	4th	33	49	.402	26		—	Scott Skiles Pete Myers Jim Boylan
2008–09	2008–09	Eastern	7th	Central	2nd	41	41	.500	25	Lost First round (Celtics) 4–3	Derrick Rose (ROY)	Vinny Del Negro
2009–10	2009–10	Eastern	8th	Central	3rd	41	41	.500	20	Lost First round (Cavaliers) 4–1	—
2010–11	2010–11	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	62	20	.756	—	Won First round (Pacers) 4–1 Won conference semifinals (Hawks) 4–2 Lost conference finals (Heat) 4–1	Derrick Rose (MVP) Tom Thibodeau (COY) Gar Forman (EOY)	Tom Thibodeau
2011–12	2011–12	Eastern	1st	Central	1st	50	16	.758	—	Lost First round (76ers) 4–2	—
2012–13	2012–13	Eastern	5th	Central	2nd	45	37	.549	4	Won First round (Nets) 4–3 Lost conference semifinals (Heat) 4–1	—
2013–14	2013–14	Eastern	4th	Central	2nd	48	34	.585	8	Lost First round (Wizards) 4–1	Joakim Noah (DPOY)
2014–15	2014–15	Eastern	3rd	Central	2nd	50	32	.610	3	Won First round (Bucks) 4–2 Lost conference semifinals (Cavaliers) 4–2	Jimmy Butler (MIP) Joakim Noah (JWKC)
2015–16	2015–16	Eastern	9th	Central	4th	42	40	.512	15			Fred Hoiberg
2016–17	2016–17	Eastern	8th	Central	4th	41	41	.500	10	Lost First round (Celtics) 4–2
2017–18	2017–18	Eastern	13th	Central	5th	27	55	.329	23
2018–19	2018–19	Eastern	13th	Central	4th	22	60	.268	38			Fred Hoiberg Jim Boylen
2019–20	2019–20	Eastern	11th	Central	3rd	22	43	.338	30			Jim Boylen
2020–21	2020–21	Eastern	11th	Central	3rd	31	41	.431	18			Billy Donovan
2021–22	2021–22	Eastern	6th	Central	2nd	46	36	.561	7	Lost First round (Bucks) 4–1
2022–23	2022–23	Eastern	9th	Central	3rd	40	42	.488	18
2023–24	2023–24	Eastern	9th	Central	4th	39	43	.476	10

Note: Statistics are correct as of the 2023–24 season.

Statistic	Wins	Losses	Win%
Chicago Bulls regular season record	2,383	2,297	.509
Chicago Bulls postseason record	187	162	.536
All-time regular and postseason record	2,570	2,459	.511

• Sachare, Alex (1999). The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia. Contemporary Books. ISBN 0-8092-2515-8.
• "Chicago Bulls". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
• "Playoff Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2008.