Eastern Conference Champions 1991
The Bulls won their first NBA championship in 1991, led by MVP Michael Jordan and All-Star Scottie Pippen.
The 1990–91 Chicago Bulls season was the 26th season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls entered the regular season as a rising powerhouse, having been eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the previous year's conference finals. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the 1991 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship in franchise history.
- Season
- 1990-91
- Head Coach
- Phil Jackson
- Conference Final Opponent
- Detroit Pistons
- Series Result vs Pistons
- Sweep (4-0)
- Regular Season Record
- 61-21
Lore & Background
The Bulls finished first in the Central Division with a league-best 61–21 record, earning the first seed in the Eastern Conference. They swept the New York Knicks in the first round, defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the semifinals, and swept the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals. In the NBA Finals, they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to win their first NBA championship.
In Their Own Story
The final buzzer at Chicago Stadium didn't just end a game; it shattered a decade of psychological warfare. For years, the arena had echoed with the groans of defeat and the roar of Detroit's 'Bad Boys.' Tonight, the script flipped. As Michael Jordan stood over a fallen Isiah Thomas—not in malice, but in absolute conquest—the home crowd erupted from stunned silence to deafening adulation. The air inside hung thick with floor wax, sweat, and the electric taste of history finally being rewritten. Scottie Pippen slapped Jordan's back, their faces streaked with effort, as teammates swarmed the center circle. No more excuses. No more physical barriers. The East belonged to Chicago now.
Reader's Guide
Michael Jordan captured his sixth straight scoring title, averaging 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. Scottie Pippen averaged 21.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Horace Grant provided 14.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Jordan and Pippen were both named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Did You Know?
- Michael Jordan scored 56 points in Game 3 of the first round against the Miami Heat during the 1991-92 season, not the 1990-91 season.
- The Bulls posted a 14-game winning streak between November and December, and a 13-game winning streak in January.
- Craig Hodges won the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the third consecutive year during All-Star weekend.
- The Bulls finished fifth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with 759,980 at the Chicago Stadium.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in the Chicago Bulls universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record