Jeff Haynes/Getty ImagesMichael Jordan is the epitome of basketball greatness. Yet, his journey was not a solitary one. Jordan’s teammates played unique but critical roles beside him. This article shines a light on 23 of those teammates, exploring their paths since leaving the hardwood floors where they once stood with Jordan. From household names like Pippen and Rodman to the less heralded (and perhaps surprising) names who were just as vital.
John Paxson
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Many consider Michael Jordan to be the greatest basketball player to have ever lived. While his scoring accolades, defensive presence, and slam dunk highlights are certainly part of the reason why people believe this — it’s Jordan’s penchant for winning (namely his 6-0 record in the NBA Finals) that is the driving force for his place among the league’s greats.
While Jordan was undoubtedly the best player on those title-winning teams, it’s hard to dispute he was the only player responsible for all six of Chicago’s titles. For example, the Bulls may have not been able to secure the 1993 NBA championship without some late-game heroics from one John Paxson.
Paxson knocked down a three-pointer with less than five seconds remaining in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, which eventually ended up being the game-winning shot and the series-clincher. It was the third title Paxson won as a member of the Bulls, as his timely three-point shooting ability came in handy in countless moments.
Paxson segued his marksmanship to a front office role with the Bulls many years later. Though he was a hero during his playing days, Bulls fans now use Paxson as a sort of scapegoat for the team’s most recent woes. Paxson has served in Chicago’s front office for 17 years — six as general manager and 11 as vice president of basketball operations. He was recently demoted to senior advisor after the Bulls hired former Denver Nuggets executive Artūras Karnišovas to fill in for Paxson’s VP role.
Bryon Russell
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A second-round pick (45th overall) in 1993 out of Long Beach State, Bryon Russell went on to have a nice, lengthy career in the NBA. Drafted by the Utah Jazz, Russell spent the first nine years of his career with the Western Conference power. While with the Jazz, Russell played in back-to-back NBA Finals in 1997 and ’98. In the ’98 Finals, Russell became a legendary figure. With the Jazz leading 86-85 and only seconds away from forcing a Game 7, Russell was faced with stopping Michael Jordan. Jordan — with the help of a push-off — would hit the championship-winning shot over Russell.
Although Russell had a nice career before and after the infamous push-off, he could never quite escape the shadow of the moment. In an ironic twist, Russell and Jordan would become teammates with the Washington Wizards in 2002-03 (Jordan’s final season). The 6-foot-7 forward retired in 2006 after 13 years in the league. Four years later, Russell was immortalized at his alma mater — Long Beach State — when the school retired his No. 32.
Christian Laettner
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Christian Laettner, without a doubt, is best known for his time at Duke University. A member of back-to-back National Championship teams in 1991-92 and the man responsible for one of the most memorable shots of all time, Laettner parlayed his collegiate success into a spot on the 1992 Dream Team alongside Jordan. A one-time All-Star throughout his 13-year NBA career, Laettner once again crossed paths with Jordan in 2001.
Laettner and Jordan spent two years playing together for the Wizards before Jordan retired a third time. Following the end of his playing career, the former Duke star was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Laettner — who attempted and failed to purchase the Memphis Grizzlies — remains a fixture in the basketball world, hosting youth camps around the country.
B.J. Armstrong
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Armstrong’s emergence as an All-Star was a welcomed sight for the Bulls. During their title-winning runs, Chicago never had a point guard who could slash to the basket and adequately run a fast break. Then came Armstrong, a 6-foot-2 speedster who could finish at the rim and launch three-pointers off the dribble. Armstrong was named an All-Star in 1994 after averaging 14.0 PPG and shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc. After winning three titles with the Bulls, Armstrong was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 NBA Expansion Draft.
Armstrong joined the Bulls front office shortly after his retirement, serving as a special assistant to Jerry Krause before becoming one of the team’s scouts for a few years. In 2006, Armstrong joined the Wasserman Media Group as a sports agent. Some of his clientele include former NBA MVP Derrick Rose, JaVale McGee, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Bismack Biyombo.
John Salley
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Fans under the age of 30 likely recognize John Salley as a television personality and not a basketball player. So, it may surprise a good amount of people to find out that Salley is a four-time NBA Champion. A member of the “Bad Boys” Piston teams of the late 1980s and early 90s, Salley won back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. Along the way, Salley helped defeat Michael Jordan and the surging Bulls. Salley left Detroit for Miami as the Bad Boys Era came to an end. Then, in 1996, Salley followed his former teammate Dennis Rodman’s lead and joined Jordan’s Bulls.
Salley’s brief stint with the 72-10 Bulls led to his third ring. Salley then pulled an MJ — left the NBA for three seasons — before returning in 2000 to win his fourth ring with the Los Angeles Lakers. Salley has made quite a name for himself off the court. The champ tried his hand in acting, landing roles in the classic Bad Boys epic (as well as Bad Boys II), appeared in the Whoopi Goldberg-led film Eddie, and has hosted multiple television shows — most notably The Best D*mn Sports Show Period and Basketball Wives.
Scott Burrell
Mitchell Layton/Getty ImagesBurrell has been at the wrong end of many of Jordan’s verbal jabs throughout the Last Dance, though many will be shocked the two were very close throughout Burrell’s tenure with Chicago. Part of this could be their shared love for the baseball diamond. A star at the University of Connecticut, Burrell became the first athlete ever to be selected in the first round of two major sports organizations — the MLB and the NBA. On the baseball field, Burrell was a pitcher who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1990. He played minor league baseball during UConn’s offseason and held a 3.71 career ERA in the minors.
Burrell would later be drafted 20th overall in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He won a title with the Chicago Bulls in ’98 and continued playing in the NBA until 2001 when he made the move overseas. He currently serves as the head coach of the Southern Connecticut State University’s basketball team in New Haven.
Kwame Brown
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Kwame Brown and Michael Jordan will forever be intertwined. Then acting as the team president, Jordan opted to take Brown with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft — marking the first time a high school player was selected with the first pick. Jordan promptly left the suite to play alongside Brown. In two seasons together, Brown averaged 6.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG. Brown spent just four seasons in Washington before being traded to the Lakers.
Later, the Lakers would include Brown in a trade that netted them Pau Gasol — a future Hall of Famer that Jordan snubbed in favor of Brown in 2001. In 2017, Brown attempted a comeback with Ice Cube’s BIG3 league and ultimately reached the league’s championship with the 3 Headed Monsters. Two years later, Brown was arrested and charged with felony possession of edible marijuana products.
Stacey King
USA TODAY SportsKing was a collegiate standout at the University of Oklahoma. After being named Big East Player of the Year in 1989, King would later go on to be the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He won three titles with Chicago (’91-’93), averaging 6.7 PPG and 3.2 RPG during his Bulls tenure. He was traded for future starting Chicago center Luc Longley during the 1994 NBA season.
However, King’s notoriety primarily has come from his time as a commentator for the Bulls. King has served as the color commentator for WGN-TV and NBC Sports Chicago since 2008. His enthusiasm and memorable catchphrases have brightened up an otherwise troubling time for the franchise. “The Windy City Assassin” (Derrick Rose) and “The White Mamba” (Brian Scalabrine) are just some of the memorable nicknames King has come up with for Chicago players over the years.
Tyronn Lue
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsTyronn Lue and Bryon Russell have a few things in common. For starters, they both played with Michael Jordan when he opted to return to the court with the Washington Wizards. Secondly, both men are most well-known for being on the negative end of two of the most iconic plays in NBA history. In Lue’s case, he was embarrassed by Allen Iverson in the 2001 NBA Finals. After Iverson hit a jumper in Lue’s face, Lue fell to the ground. Iverson proceeded to step over the grounded Lue and stared him down in the process.
Lue would go on to play eight more years in the Association, but his next taste of success wouldn’t come for another 15 years after his 2001 triumph with the Lakers. After starting the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lue was promoted to head coach after the team fired David Blatt mid-season. The Cavs would end the season historically — overcoming a 3-1 deficit to upend the 73-9 Golden State Warriors — capturing Cleveland’s first NBA title. Lue led the Cavs to two more Finals (losing to the Warriors both times) and was ultimately fired in 2018-19 after an 0-6 start. Today, Lue is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bison Dele
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Dele was only with the Bulls for nine regular season games and a single postseason run, but his impact was heavily felt during his tenure in Chicago. The 6-foot-11 big man was highly skilled for a center and could finish with finesse or power near the basket. Dele was a solid contributor during Chicago’s ’97 title run, averaging just under seven points and four rebounds in only 17 minutes of play. Following the season, Dele signed with the Pistons and had a breakout year in Detroit averaging 16.2 PPG and 8.9 RPG. Just one year later, Dele suddenly retired from the sport.
In 2002, Dele went missing after setting sail on a boat from Tahiti with his girlfriend and brother. When the boat finally docked, Dele’s brother — Miles Dabord — was the only person still on it. To this day, there has been no resolution as to what happened on the boat.
Richard Hamilton
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Years before Richard Hamilton transformed into the masked man known as ‘Rip’ Hamilton who starred for the Detroit Pistons, the UConn stud played for the Wizards. Drafted No. 7 overall in 1999, Hamilton spent just three years in Washington — his last spent playing with Michael Jordan. Despite playing very well for the Wiz, Washington shipped Hamilton to Detroit in exchange for Jerry Stackhouse. With the Pistons, Hamilton was a part of a team that went to six-straight Eastern Conference Finals — including an upset win over the Lakers in the 2004 Finals and a trip to the 2005 Finals.
A three-time All-Star, NCAA Champion, and NBA Champion, Hamilton’s last appearance was in 2013. Two years later, on ESPN’s His and Hers, Hamilton announced his retirement — citing a foot injury as the final straw. Hamilton was forever immortalized by the Pistons in 2017 when the franchise retired his No. 32.
Jerry Stackhouse
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In one of many questionable moves Jordan has made during his managerial career, GM MJ shipped the up-and-coming Richard Hamilton to Detroit in exchange for Pistons’ scoring machine Jerry Stackhouse. The trade turned out to be a complete dud. Stackhouse — who had averaged just under 30 points per game just two years prior in Detroit — scored just 19.5 PPG on 40.7 percent shooting in his two years as a Wizard. In 2004, Stackhouse was jettisoned to Dallas for Antawn Jamison while Hamilton celebrated an NBA Championship with the Pistons.
Stackhouse himself doesn’t have very many fond memories during his time in Washington. Since the release of The Last Dance, Stackhouse was quoted saying, “I wish I never played in Washington.” Stackhouse believed he was a superior player to Jordan at the time, but the offense was still running through the six-time NBA Champion. Stackhouse’s career was never the same after the trade, but he has recovered well as a basketball coach. In April of 2019, he was named the head coach at Vanderbilt.
Craig Hodges
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An Illinois native, Craig Hodges experienced the thrill of both playing for his hometown team (Bulls) and with Michael Jordan. Selected in the third round by the San Diego Clippers, Hodges was a career 40-percent shooter from beyond the arc. He led the league in 1985-86 at 45.1 percent and in ’87-88 with a 49.1 percent clip. In a little more than three seasons with the Bulls, Hodges shot 42.6 percent from deep and was a member of Jordan’s first two championship-winning squads.
When Hodges’ playing days were over, he still couldn’t leave the court. The two-time champ was the head coach at Chicago State University for two years and changed. After a 10-year hiatus, Hodges returned to coaching — this time with Phil Jackson’s Lakers. Most notably, however, Hodges filed a $40 million lawsuit against the NBA and its teams in 1996 — claiming he had been blackballed. Today, he is at Rich East High School in Illinois as head coach.
Charles Oakley
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Though a young Jordan joined a team with a strong offensive player in Orlando Woolridge and a four-time scoring champion in George Gervin, Mike’s true No. 2 option was the rough-and-tough Charles Oakley. Oakley is known as being one of the toughest players in NBA history and served as a sort of bodyguard for Jordan during His Airness’ early years. Though the trade that sent Oakley to the New York Knicks in 1988 was met with some criticism, it wound up being a coup for the Bulls as center Bill Cartwright wound up being a very useful piece of Chicago’s early title teams.
It ended up being a win-win for both sides, as Oakley became an integral piece on the New York Knicks teams of the 90s. Oak played ten years in New York — starting at power forward in 722 out of 727 games — and averaged a double-double (10.4 PPG and 10.0 RPG) through his tenure. He’s had some ups and downs with the Knicks organization in recent years, but the city of New York adores Oakley for everything he brought to the team.
Bill Cartwright
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When it comes to the two three-peat Bull squads, all of the attention is typically reserved for Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Horace Grant. While those players were at the forefront of the Bulls’ success, Bill Cartwright’s contributions cannot be overlooked. An All-Star earlier in his career with the New York Knicks, Cartwright joined the Bulls in 1988 and became their starting center. During Chicago’s first three-peat, the big man started 206 games and averaged a tad over 24 minutes per game.
After retiring following the 1994-95 season, Cartwright joined Phil Jackson’s coaching staff — just in time for Chicago’s second three-peat. Cartwright would eventually become the Bulls’ head coach during the 2002 season. From 2002-04, Cartwright’s Bulls went 51-100 before he was dismissed. The former center spent another eight seasons in the league as an assistant, last appearing on the Phoenix Suns’ bench in 2012.
Robert Parish
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The long-time Boston Celtic made a quick pit stop in Chicago before calling it a career. As a Celtic, Parish was regarded as one of the top defensive centers in the league. Parish won three titles in Boston while averaging 16.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. He was named to nine All-Star teams, and his famous double-zero jersey hangs from the rafters of TD Garden.
In 1997, after a forgettable two-year run in Charlotte, Parish signed on with the Bulls at the age of 43. He played in just two games during the postseason (making one basket), and earned an NBA championship ring for his efforts — making him a four-time champion. The NBA Hall of Famer now lives in North Carolina and prefers to keep a low profile.
Ron Harper
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Ron Harper may be best remembered for his time with the late 1990s Bulls and the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, but there was a time when Harper was the main option on an NBA team. Over the first eight seasons of his career, Harper averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game for the Cavaliers and Clippers. When he joined Chicago as a 31-year-old in 1994, Harper saw his minutes cut in half. Instead of being relied upon to score, Harper was asked to become a defensive stopper. Harper started 324 games for the Bulls and was a key cog in their second three-peat.
Upon leaving Chicago, Harper signed with the Lakers and proceeded to win back-to-back championships before retiring after 2001. Harper has mostly stayed out of the limelight in retirement. The five-time champion returned to the game in 2005 and spent two years as an assistant coach with the Pistons. Harper has two sons. Ron Harper Jr. formerly played with the Toronto Raptors, and Dylan Harper is one of the nation’s top recruits for his class.
Luc Longley
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The native Aussie manned the center position for Chicago for five seasons in the mid-90s. Longley was the first ever Australian to play in the NBA. His three best years as a pro coincide with Chicago’s last three championships (’96-’98). During that time, Longley averaged just a hair under 10 points per night and provided excellent rim protection and a solid passing touch.
In 1997, Longley was forced to miss several months to open the season after injuring himself body surfing. He later reported that Michael Jordan called him during this time and joked that Longley had to return to the floor because MJ had no one to set screens for him. Longley is now employed as an assistant coach for the Australian national basketball team as the country has seen a dramatic influx of talented players including Ben Simmons, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum, Matthew Dellavedova, Thon Maker, Aron Baynes, and Andrew Bogut.
Horace Grant
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The bespectacled interior threat on the Bulls’ first three-peat dynasty, Horace Grant was a very good player. As seen on The Last Dance, Grant went from being an integral member of the Chicago juggernaut to chief rival for two seasons when he joined the Orlando Magic. A four-time All-Defensive Team forward, Grant started over 1,000 games during his 17-year career. One of Grant’s nephews, Jerami Grant, currently plays for the Denver Nuggets. Grant remains connected to the NBA in retirement. Today, Grant works as a Goodwill Ambassador for the league and takes part in the NBA Cares program — traveling the world on the NBA’s behalf to further the game and help young fans and players.
Steve Kerr
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There aren’t a whole lot of role players who complemented the talents of Michael Jordan (and Scottie Pippen) better than the sharp-shooting Steve Kerr. Coming out of the University of Arizona, Kerr is regarded as one of the most lethal long-range shooters ever. Even with NBA players focusing more and more on the three-point shot over the past few years, Kerr remains the all-time leader in three-point percentage in the league’s history (45.4). He knocked down several clutch shots for the Bulls while helping Chicago capture three NBA titles. He went on to add two more titles to his trophy case as a member of the San Antonio Spurs before retiring after the 2003 season.
Kerr’s post-NBA career has arguably been even more impressive than the five championships he won as a player. Kerr excelled as a broadcaster immediately after his playing career and was eventually hired by his former team — the Phoenix Suns — as the squad’s general manager. Then, Kerr landed the job of a lifetime as he replaced Mark Jackson to become the Golden State Warriors head coach. He’s won four titles in Golden State and boasts the best playoff-winning percentage of any coach in NBA history.
Toni Kukoc
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Toni Kukoc — aka ‘The Waiter’ aka ‘The Croatian Sensation’ — was not well-liked by the Bulls’ stars before he arrived in Chicago. As The Last Dance has shown, Jordan and Scottie Pippen weren’t exactly fond of the European star. Despite the perceived animosity, Kukoc proved his worth quickly. A three-time EuroLeague champion and four-time Player of the Year overseas, Kukoc won the Sixth Man Award in his third year with the Bulls.
In helping Chicago win three rings, Kukoc shot 37 percent from three and averaged more than 13 PPG. Post-NBA, Kukoc became an avid golfer. The lefty began playing daily and became good enough that he won Croatia’s national amateur golf tournament in 2011.
Dennis Rodman
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The enigma that is Dennis Rodman had himself quite a career. After failing to play any sort of organized basketball until college, Rodman emerged as one of the great defenders and rebounders in NBA history. A member of the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons, Rodman helped Detroit win two NBA titles and was named Defensive Player of the Year in ’90 and ’91. He then was traded to the Bulls in 1996 to fill in for the departing Horace Grant. The move helped Chicago secure a second three-peat as Rodman cemented his Hall of Fame legacy.
Rodman is one of the most polarizing figures in all of sports. He’s dated Madonna, wrestled alongside Hulk Hogan, became commissioner of the Lingerie Football League, married Carmen Electra in drag, and had meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un — and those are just things he’s done away from the court. Rodman had a knack for the limelight, and will forever be remembered for his non-stop motor and wild antics.
Scottie Pippen
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Everyone knows Scottie Pippen. The man whom Michael Jordan himself says he wouldn’t have won six titles without, Pippen is a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. While possessing the ability to score over 20 PPG, Pippen’s calling card was his defense. The 6-foot-8 forward was named to 10 All-Defensive teams and is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. Pippen’s famed No. 33 was retired by the Bulls in 2005, and the legend was also honored with a statue at the United Center.
