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Michael Jordan’s basketball journey was one of a kind. He won six NBA titles, two Olympic gold medals, five NBA MVP awards, and six NBA Finals MVP honors. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Jordan is considered the greatest player in the history of basketball. He is also credited with putting the city of Chicago on the basketball map. But while MJ was the main reason why the Bulls became a dynasty in the 1990s, he couldn’t have done it without his teammates.
Sure, Jordan never had the best teammates one could imagine. But he made the most of what he had around him. Let’s take a look at the best teammates of Michael Jordan during the Bulls’ title run in the 1990s:
10. Steve Kerr
Before he became a world champion coach with the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr was a sharpshooter for Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls during their 1996-98 three-peat. Kerr has the highest three-point shooting percentage (45.4%) among all NBA players who have made at least 250 triples.
Kerr made the game-winning and title-clinching three-pointer in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals from a Michael Jordan pass. He averaged 8.1 points per game in four seasons with the Bulls while shooting 51% from the floor and 48% from behind the three-point area. After winning three titles with the Bulls, he transferred to the San Antonio Spurs where he won two more NBA titles as a player.
9. Ron Harper
Harper was a key player during the Bulls’ 1996-98 title run. He arrived from Chicago after starring with the L.A. Clippers. Although Harp wasn’t the same scorer he was when he was in Cleveland and the L.A. Clippers, he was Chicago’s starting point guard and helped stabilize the offense with his veteran savvy and ability to score.
His best season with Chicago came in 1998 when the Bulls won their sixth and final NBA title. Harper played all 82 regular-season games that season while averaging 9.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. After playing for Chicago, he would move on to the Lakers where he rejoined Phil Jackson and won two more NBA titles.
8. Luc Longley
The 1990s was a period when every team needed a center to become a title contender. The Bulls didn’t win an NBA title until Bill Cartwright came along. With Cartwright gone, the Bulls depended on seven-foot Luc Longley to man the middle for them. He did well and they won three more NBA titles with Longley as their main big man.
Longley was the first Australian to play in the NBA and the first to win an NBA title as well. He averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in four seasons with Chicago. His best year came in 1998 when he put up 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Longley was MJ’s favorite screen setter.
7. John Paxson
John Paxson arrived in Chicago together with MJ. While Jordan came from the draft, Paxson came from the San Antonio Spurs whom he played two seasons with. Paxson started alongside Jordan in the Chicago backcourt. He was MJ’s backcourt partner during their first three championships. He was a Deadshot for the Bulls and he proved that during the 1993 NBA Finals.
Paxson nailed the game-winning three-point basket in Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals, securing Chicago’s third straight title. During eight seasons with the Bulls, Paxson averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 assists per game. Paxson started a total of 369 NBA games and he averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 points per game during his NBA career.
6. B.J. Armstrong
B.J. Armstrong was Chicago’s 18th overall pick in 1989. With John Paxson around, he came off the bench during his first few NBA seasons. He worked his way to becoming the starter and was a terrific outside shooter for the Bulls. He was a key contributor to their first three-peat.
Armstrong averaged 11 points and three assists during his tenure with the Bulls. He started for the Bulls in 1993 and led the league in three-point percentage that season with his .453 mark. When MJ retired in 1994, he stepped up and became a leader. Armstrong was named as a starter for the 1994 NBA All-Star game.
5. Toni Kukoc
Toni Kukoc was the best Sixth Man that Michael Jordan ever played with. He was a three-time Euroleague champion and MVP before joining the Bulls in 1993. He immediately became a key player during Chicago’s title runs from 1996-98. Kukoc was a versatile forward who could shoot the three-pointer and who could play all five positions on the court.
He averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists during his four seasons playing with Jordan. Kukoc put up those numbers while playing less than 30 minutes per game. He was named as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1996 where the Bulls won title number four.
4. Bill Cartwright
Bill Cartwright was the final piece of the Chicago championship puzzle. With the Bulls failing to get over the hump in the East, they traded forward Charles Oakley to the Knicks to get Cartwright. Two seasons after acquiring Cartwright, the Bulls became a champion team. They would win three in a row with him as the man in the middle.
He averaged 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds and was the only low-post threat for the Bulls during their title run. In his first two seasons playing with MJ, Cartwright posted averages of 12 points and 7 rebounds. His production declined when he turned 35 during the 1993 season. Still, he was the big man that Chicago needed to get to the next level.
3. Horace Grant
Horace Grant was the most consistent big man who played alongside Michael Jordan. He spent his first six seasons playing with MJ and the Bulls and he averaged 12.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game while playing in at least 77 regular-season games per season.
During the 1991-92 season, Grant averaged in a double-double and led the team in rebounding and shooting percentage. His trademark goggles made him popular among fans. Grant had a very reliable mid-range jumper that made him an offensive threat as well.
2. Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman was Jordan’s nemesis when he was still with the Detroit Pistons. When the Worm joined the Bulls, he was a two-time NBA champion and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. Rodman was a part of the Bulls’ second three-peat and he was a rebounding machine who led the league in rebounding for seven straight seasons, including all of his years with the Bulls.
In three seasons playing with MJ, rodman averaged 5.2 points and 15.3 rebounds per game. Not only was he a very good rebounder, Rodman was a very intense competitor who also gave the team plenty of energy and fire. Rodman, Pippen, and Jordan are the only teammates to be named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First team in the same season, achieving the feat in 1996.
1. Scottie Pippen
Even Michael Jordan said that he didn’t win a single championship without Scottie Pippen. Pippen was the perfect Robin to Jordan’s Batman and while their off-court relationship wasn’t the best, they were perfect partners inside the basketball court.
Among all his teammates, Pippen is the only guy who was with MJ during all six title wins. He played 10 seasons with Jordan and he averaged 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. While he always ranked second to MJ in scoring, Pippen topped His Airness in rebounding, passing, and steals during some seasons. No question, he was the best teammate that Michael Jordan ever had.
