The

1996–97 NBA season The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to celebrate its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particu ...

was the 31st season for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. The Bulls entered the regular season as defending NBA champions, having defeated the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

in the 1996 NBA Finals in six games, winning their fourth NBA championship. During the off-season, the Bulls signed 43-year old free agent All-Star center

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" Center (basketball), center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 199 ...

, who won three championships with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in the 1980s. Coming off of one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, the Bulls, on the backs of recording another first-place finish in their division and conference, repeated as NBA champions. The Bulls were led by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

, perennial All-Star small forward

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with th ...

, and rebound ace

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Renowned for his defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding forw ...

; other notable players on the club's roster that year were clutch-specialist Croatian

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful period in European basketball, he was one of ...

, and sharp-shooting point guard

Steve Kerr Stephen Douglas Kerr (born September 27, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the United States men's national ...

. The Bulls got off to a fast start by winning their first twelve games of the regular season, while posting a 42–6 record before the All-Star break. In April, the team signed free agent

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American journalist and television news anchor. He was a correspondent for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchorman, anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in ...

, who previously played for the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

last season, and spent most of the 1996–97 season as a free agent; Williams played in the final nine games of the regular season as a backup center for the Bulls. Though, the Bulls look to make history against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in their final regular season game of the year, Pippen missed a game-winning three-pointer and they finished in first place in the Central Division with a 69–13 record, just missing out on becoming the first team in NBA history to have back-to-back 70 wins seasons. The Bulls earned the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and had the fourth best team defensive rating in the NBA. Jordan led the league in scoring once again, averaging 29.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, plus contributing 111 three-point field goals, and was named to the

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

, while Pippen averaged 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game, led the Bulls with 156 three-point field goals, and was selected to the

All-NBA Second Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

; both Jordan and Pippen were named to the

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

. In addition, Rodman led the league with 16.1 rebounds per game, but only played 55 games due to suspensions and injuries, such as serving an 11-game suspension for kicking a cameraman during a road game against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

on January 15, 1997, and a knee injury which caused him to miss the final 13 games of the regular season. Meanwhile, Kukoč provided scoring off the bench, averaging 13.2 points per game, but only played 57 games due to a foot injury, while

Luc Longley Lucien James Longley (born 19 January 1969) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He was the first Australian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played for four teams over 10 seasons. He m ...

provided the team with 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, Kerr contributed 8.1 points per game and 110 three-point field goals off the bench, while shooting .464 in three-point field goal percentage, second-year forward Jason Caffey averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, starting at power forward in a few games during Rodman's suspension, and

Ron Harper Ronald Harper Sr. (born January 20, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2001 and is a five-time NBA champion. Early life Ronald Har ...

contributed 6.3 points and 2.5 assists per game. During the NBA All-Star weekend in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, Jordan and Pippen were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, which would be Pippen's seventh and final All-Star appearance, and in which Jordan recorded the first triple-double in an All-Star Game with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists; Kerr also won the NBA Three-Point Shootout. Jordan also finished in second place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

voting, while Pippen finished in eleventh place; Pippen finished in fourth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Jordan finished in fifth place, and Kukoč finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting. In the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Bulls would sweep the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

in three straight games in the Eastern Conference First Round. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, they defeated the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

in five games, despite losing Game 2 at the

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

, 103–95. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

in five games to advance to the

1997 NBA Finals The 1997 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1996–97 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Utah Jazz took on the defending NBA champion and Easte ...

, where they defeated regular season MVP

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...

and the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

in six games for their fifth title in seven years. Following the season, Parish retired after 21 seasons in the NBA, while Williams signed as a free agent with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, and Dickey Simpkins was traded to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

Offseason

NBA draft

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

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Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

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Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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Miami Arena Miami Arena was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida. The venue served as the home of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1988 until 1999, it also ...

15,200 , 4–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , November 8 , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

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The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

21,454 , 5–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , November 9 ,

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23,813 , 6–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , November 11 , Phoenix
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23,807 , 7–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 8 , November 13 ,

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Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

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Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...

24,042 , 9–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 10 , November 16 ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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23,939 , 10–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , November 20 , @ Phoenix
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Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

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America West Arena The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

19,023 , 11–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 12 , November 21 , @

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

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McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sp ...

17,171 , 12–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 13 , November 23 , @

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

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19,911 , 12–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 14 , November 25 , @ L.A. Clippers
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Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of ...

16,144 , 13–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , November 29 , @

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...

18,042 , 14–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 16 , November 30 , @

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

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Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...

37,058 , 15–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 17 , December 3 , @

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

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Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...

18,717 , 16–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 18 , December 5 , L.A. Clippers
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Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...

33,385 , 17–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 21 , December 11 ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

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Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

20,049 , 19–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 23 , December 14 , Charlotte
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23,771 , 20–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 24 , December 17 , L.A. Lakers
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23,919 , 21–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 25 , December 19 , @ Charlotte
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23,601 , 24–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 28 , December 25 ,

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Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

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Omni Coliseum Omni Coliseum (often called The Omni) was an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for ice hockey, hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Cente ...

16,378 , 25–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 30 , December 28 ,

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

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Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

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Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

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18,717 , 30–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 35 , January 11 ,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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Gund Arena Rocket Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a sec ...

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General Motors Place Rogers Arena, (formerly General Motors Place), is a multi-purpose arena at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, the arena was known as General Motors Place (GM Place) from its opening u ...

19,193 , 38–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 44 , January 30 , @

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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ARCO Arena ARCO Arena (known as Power Balance Pavilion from 2011 to 2012 and Sleep Train Arena from 2012 until 2022) was an indoor arena located in Sacramento, California, United States. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Sacramento Kings of the Nation ...

17,317 , 39–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 45 , January 31 , @ Golden State
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Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

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Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

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Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped ...

21,538 , 42–5 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 48 , February 5 , @ L.A. Lakers
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Great Western Forum The Kia Forum, also known as Los Angeles Forum and formerly Great Western Forum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located on West Manchester Boulevard, with Laffit Pincay Jr., P ...

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(13) ,

(11) ,

23,919 , 45–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 52 , February 18 ,

W 134–123
,

(47) ,

(13) ,

(12) ,

23,874 , 46–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 53 , February 21 , @

W 103–99
,

(36) ,

(12) ,

(7) , US Airways Arena
18,756 , 47–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 54 , February 22 , Golden State
W 120–87
,

(34) ,

(12) , Harper &

Kerr Kerr may refer to: People *Kerr (surname) *Kerr (given name) Places ;United States *Kerr Township, Champaign County, Illinois *Kerr, Montana, A US census-designated place *Kerr, Ohio, an unincorporated community *Kerr County, Texas Kerr Co ...

(7) ,

23,917 , 48–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 55 , February 24 ,

W 116–89
,

(37) ,

(15) ,

(11) ,

23,841 , 49–6 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 56 , February 27 , @

L 70–73
,

(23) ,

(16) ,

(4) ,

20,562 , 49–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 57 , February 28 ,

W 126–108
,

(35) ,

(11) , Harper &

(6) ,

23,836 , 50–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 58 , March 3 ,

W 108–90
,

(31) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

23,894 , 51–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , March 5 ,

W 111–69
,

(19) , Caffey & Longley (10) , Randy Brown (8) ,

23,841 , 52–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 60 , March 7 ,

W 104–96
,

(38) ,

(18) ,

(9) ,

23,902 , 53–7 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 61 , March 9 , @

L 93–97
,

(36) ,

(19) ,

& Pippen (4) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

19,763 , 53–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 62 , March 11 , @

W 117–106
,

(32) ,

(16) ,

(9) , FleetCenter
18,624 , 54–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 63 , March 12 , @

W 108–104
,

(31) ,

(17) ,

(8) , CoreStates Center
21,061 , 55–8 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 64 , March 14 , @

L 98–99
,

(36) ,

(17) ,

(9) ,

20,049 , 55–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 65 , March 15 ,

W 99–79
,

(17) ,

(14) , Longley & Pippen (7) ,

23,984 , 56–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 66 , March 18 ,

W 89–87 (OT)
,

(32) ,

(18) ,

(7) ,

23,989 , 57–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 67 , March 21 , @

W 117–98
,

(36) ,

(19) ,

(8) ,

Market Square Arena Market Square Arena (MSA) was an indoor arena in Indianapolis. Completed in 1974, at a cost of $23 million, it seated 16,530 for basketball and 15,993 for ice hockey. Seating capacity for concerts and other events was adjusted by the use of larg ...

16,759 , 58–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 68 , March 22 ,

W 103–88
,

(26) ,

(18) ,

(7) ,

23,896 , 59–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 69 , March 25 ,

W 94–92
,

(20) ,

(21) ,

(6) ,

23,854 , 60–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 70 , March 27 , @

W 96–83
, Longley & Pippen (16) ,

(10) ,

(7) ,

34,104 , 61–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 71 , March 29 ,

W 111–101
,

(31) ,

(8) ,

(10) ,

23,916 , 62–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 72 , April 1 ,

W 111–106
,

(21) , Jason Caffey (9) ,

(7) ,

23,906 , 63–9 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 73 , April 3 , @

L 102–110
,

(34) , Caffey & Kukoč (8) ,

(6) , US Airways Arena
18,756 , 63–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 74 , April 4 ,

W 84–71
,

(22) ,

(7) ,

(6) ,

23,955 , 64–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 75 , April 6 , @

W 110–94
,

(37) , Caffey &

(8) ,

(5) , Orlando Arena
17,248 , 65–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 76 , April 7 ,

W 128–102
,

(30) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

23,618 , 66–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 77 , April 9 , @

W 86–80
,

(23) , Jason Caffey (16) ,

(3) ,

16,760 , 67–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 78 , April 10 , @

W 105–103
,

(34) , Caffey &

(8) ,

(6) ,

19,763 , 68–10 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 79 , April 13 , @

L 91–108
,

(21) , Jason Caffey (10) ,

(7) ,

21,454 , 68–11 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 80 , April 14 ,

W 117–100
,

(30) ,

(11) ,

(10) ,

23,896 , 69–11 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 81 , April 16 , @

L 92–102
,

(28) ,

(8) ,

(5) ,

15,200 , 69–12 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 82 , April 19 ,

L 101–103
,

(33) , 3 players tied (6) ,

(12) ,

24,161 , 69–13

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 25 ,

W 98–86
,

(29) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

24,122 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 27 ,

W 109–104
,

(55) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

24,267 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 30 , @

W 96–95
,

(28) ,

(10) ,

(6) , US Airways Arena
18,756 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 6 ,

W 100–97
,

(34) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

24,397 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 8 ,

L 95–103
,

(27) ,

(16) ,

(9) ,

24,544 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 10 , @

W 100–80
,

(21) , Jason Caffey (11) , Kukoč & Pippen (5) ,

16,378 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 11 , @

W 89–80
,

(27) ,

& Pippen (8) , 3 players tied (4) ,

16,378 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 13 ,

W 107–92
,

(24) ,

Dele A dele or deleatur (, ) is an obelism (a proofreading symbol) used to mark something for deletion. Name ''Dele'', the more common term in modern American English (sometimes used as a verb, e.g. "Dele that graf"), coincides with the imperative ...

& Longley (10) ,

& Pippen (7) ,

24,544 , 4–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 20 ,

W 84–77
,

(37) ,

(19) , Harper & Pippen (4) ,

24,544 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 22 ,

W 75–68
,

& Pippen (23) ,

(10) ,

(6) ,

24,544 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 24 , @

W 98–74
,

(34) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

14,720 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 26 , @

L 80–87
,

(29) ,

(11) ,

(5) ,

14,720 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 28 ,

W 100–87
,

(28) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

24,544 , 4–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , June 1 ,

W 84–82
,

(31) ,

(12) ,

(8) ,

24,544 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , June 4 ,

W 97–85
,

(38) ,

(13) ,

(9) ,

24,544 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , June 6 , @

L 93–104
,

(27) ,

(7) ,

(6) , Delta Center
19,911 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , June 8 , @

L 73–78
,

(22) ,

(12) , 3 players tied (4) , Delta Center
19,911 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , June 11 , @

W 90–88
,

(38) ,

(10) ,

& Pippen (5) , Delta Center
19,911 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , June 13 ,

W 90–86
,

(39) ,

& Rodman (11) ,

(4) ,

24,544 , 4–2

Player stats

Regular season

Playoffs

Player Statistics Citation:

NBA finals

Schedule

* Game 1 – June 1, Sunday @Chicago, Chicago 84, Utah 82: ''Chicago leads series 1-0'' * Game 2 – June 4, Wednesday @Chicago, Chicago 97, Utah 85: ''Chicago leads series 2-0'' * Game 3 – June 6, Friday @Utah, Utah 104, Chicago 93: ''Chicago leads series 2-1'' * Game 4 – June 8, Sunday @Utah, Utah 78, Chicago 73: ''Series tied 2-2'' * Game 5 – June 11, Wednesday @Utah, Chicago 90, Utah 88: ''Chicago leads series 3-2'' * Game 6 – June 13, Friday @Chicago, Chicago 90, Utah 86: ''Chicago wins series 4-2'' The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 site format, where the first two and last two games are held at the team with home court advantage's (Chicago's) home court (

Game 1

''Sunday, June 1, at the

Game 2

''Wednesday, June 4, at the United Center''

Game 3

''Friday, June 6, at the Delta Center''

Game 4

''Sunday, June 8, at the Delta Center''

Game 5: The Flu Game

''Wednesday, June 11, at the Delta Center'' Game 5, often referred to as "The Flu Game", was one of

's most memorable. Just 24 hours earlier, on June 10, 1997, Jordan woke up nauseated and sweating profusely. He hardly had the strength to sit up in bed and was diagnosed with a stomach virus or

food poisoning Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such ...

. The Bulls trainers told Jordan that there was no way he could play in the game. The Jazz had just won two in a row to tie the series, and Chicago needed their leader in this critical swing game. Against all odds, Jordan rose from bed at 3:00 p.m., just in time for the 6:00 tip-off at the Delta Center. Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped onto the court for Game Five. At first, he displayed no energy whatsoever, and

, along with reigning MVP

, quickly led the Jazz to a 16-point lead. But in the second quarter, Jordan started to sink shots despite lacking his usual explosive speed and hardly being able to concentrate. He scored 17 points in the quarter as the Bulls hit the front before halftime.

and

did their best to keep the Bulls in the game while Jordan was fatigued again in the third. But Jordan turned it on again, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch rebound and three-point shot with the game tied and under a minute left that put the Bulls up by three points. Chicago held on for a narrow victory. Jordan finished the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. Malone was the highest-scoring Jazz player with 19 points but suffered from some dreadful shooting. Jordan stayed on the court for 44 minutes, resting for only four minutes while being perpetually at the brink of fainting. With only a few seconds remaining and the game finally at hand, Jordan collapsed into Scottie Pippen's arms.
Game Recap

Game 6

''Friday, June 13, at the United Center'' Michael Jordan was not fully recovered from the flu, but was feeling much better and led the Bulls with 39 points. In the third quarter Michael Jordan dunked after a steal, bringing the crowd to its feet. The Bulls trailed by 9 points early in the fourth quarter but went on a 10–0 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes when Steve Kerr hit a 3-pointer, but the Jazz would regain the lead. In the final minutes, Jordan's fadeaway on the baseline put the Bulls up by 3, before Bryon Russell hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 86-86. The two teams would fail to score on their next possessions. With 28 seconds left after Shandon Anderson missed a reverse layup, the Jazz expected Jordan to take the final shot. Instead, Jordan passed off to

, who hit a shot with 5 seconds left to send the United Center crowd into a frenzy. The Jazz looked for one final shot to stay alive, but

made a massive defensive play as he knocked away Bryon Russell's inbound pass intended for Shandon Anderson and was able to pass the ball over to

, who dunked the final 2 points of the game to bring the Finals to an end. Afterwards, Jordan was named the NBA Finals MVP.

Awards and honors

, Forward, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team *

, Guard, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team *

, Center, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team *

, All-NBA Team, First Team *

, Guard,

NBA Finals MVP The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven medi ...

, NBA All-Defensive First Team *

, Regular season leader, Field Goals (920) *

, Regular season leader, Field Goal Attempts (1892) *

, Regular season leader, Total Points (2431) *

, Regular season leader, Scoring Average (29.6 points per game) *

, All-NBA Team, Second Team *

, NBA All-Defensive First Team

NBA All-Star Game

, Guard *

, Forward

References

External links

*
Bulls on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Chicago Bulls Season Chicago Bulls seasons

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...

Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons NBA championship seasons

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

1996 in Chicago 1997 in Chicago