The 1985–86 Chicago Bulls season was the 20th season of the franchise 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 ...

(NBA). During the offseason, they acquired forward

Charles Oakley Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley is best known for playing 10 of his 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association with the New York Knicks. As a power forward, he consisten ...

from the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, veteran guard George Gervin from the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

and signed free agent guards Kyle Macy and

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was t ...

. The season was a near disaster as

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 ...

was lost for much of the regular season due to a broken foot. Despite the injury to Jordan, the team managed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs.

Offseason

NBA draft

The

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft of the "

Lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

" era. The lottery was put into place so teams did not have to intentionally lose games to receive the number one pick.

Roster

Regular season

* Michael Jordan's second season was cut short by a broken foot which caused him to miss 64 games. Despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record,, databasebasketball.com, accessed January 16, 2007. the Bulls made the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. * C -

Dave Corzine David John Corzine (born April 25, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Biography A Chicago-area native who went to John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois and ...

* PF -

* SF -

Orlando Woolridge Orlando Vernada Woolridge (December 16, 1959 – May 31, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks. He playe ...

* SG -

* PG - Kyle Macy

Season standings

:z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Player stats

Regular season

Playoffs

At the time, the Bulls had the fifth worst record of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA history. Michael Jordan recovered in time to participate in the playoffs and performed well upon his return. Against a Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history, Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in game 2.God Disguised as Michael Jordan
, nba.com/history, accessed January 17, 2007. The Celtics, however, managed to sweep the series.
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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 ...

L 104–123
,

(49) ,

(10) , Macy, Paxson (4) ,

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...

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L 131–135 (2OT)
,

(63) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

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L 104–122
,

(23) ,

(15) ,

(9) ,

Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago from 1929 to 1995. When it was built, it was the largest indoor arena in the world with a maximum seating capacity of 26,000. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and ...

18,968 , 0–3 , -

Awards and honors

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

1st Team *

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

References

*
Bulls on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1985-86 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 ...

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 ...