You can make a very compelling case that more than anything else the Chicago Bulls are responsible for the enormous worldwide popularity of NBA basketball. It’s not that they had great teams in the 1990’s though they certainly did. In fact, the 1996 Chicago Bulls may be the greatest single team in NBA history. The reason they became a global phenomenon was due to a confluence of factors–on court success, charismatic and marketable stars along with the growth of cable and satellite TV and the National Basketball Association marketing juggernaut. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls’ championship teams also had international players in key roles like Australia’s Luc Longley or Croatia’s Toni Kukoc. The stars aligned and made the Michael Jordan era Chicago Bulls the definitive team of our generation.
The Chicago Bulls’ franchise dates back to 1966, and they put a lot of decent teams and talented players on the court. Long before Michael Jordan even stepped on a basketball court in Chapel Hill, North Carolina the Bulls had stars like Jerry Sloan, Norm Van Lier, Bob Love, Artis Gilmore and Reggie Theus. They were able to enjoy more TV coverage than the majority of teams in the league due to the expansive reach of WGN-TV, which was available on cable systems across the country. All of that notwithstanding, the team was still on the bottom of the Windy City sports hierarchy and certainly behind the Blackhawks, Bears and Cubs.
That changed when Chicago selected North Carolina Tar Heels’ guard Michael Jordan with the 3rd pick in the NBA draft. Although revisionist history would suggest that he was considered a ‘can’t miss’ superstar from the start that’s not the case. Many basketball ‘experts’ thought he was too small for the rigors of the NBA and that he might become a ‘decent scorer’ but little else. Others thought that Chicago would have been better served taking Jordan’s college teammate Sam Perkins, who was considered a more ‘polished’ player. It didn’t take long for ‘Air Jordan‘ to vindicate the Bulls’ selection. By the time that Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points against the Boston Celtics it was obvious that he was a superstar in the making. Still, not even his biggest supporters imagined just how bright his future was.
Jordan and the Bulls would go on to win six NBA championships and set countless regular season and playoff records. The 1995-96 Bulls finished with the best record in NBA history going 72-10 and becoming the only team to win more than seventy games in a season. With a versatile starting lineup led by Jordan, Scottie Pippen and green haired rebounding monster Dennis Rodman this Bulls’ team is arguably the best in NBA history, if not all of sports.
The Bulls have remained competitive during the post-Jordan era and are still one of the most popular teams in the league. They’re also a popular choice for national broadcasts by ESPN and TNT. You can still find Bulls’ action on WGN in Chicago though the station no longer broadcasts the games nationally. If you’re looking to watch Bulls game online, you’ll find a limited selection on ESPN3 and TNT. You might be able to find a radio stream for tonight’s game on WGN radio, but they don’t stream TV broadcasts.
The best option is to watch Chicago Bulls online for free via live sports streaming. Live streams are available for virtually every sport and game in the world, and you’ll have no problem finding streaming Bulls basketball games online. A full directory of live sports streaming is available on websites like Wiziwig, First Row Sports, SportsStreamTV and a number of others. These sites change domain names frequently, and new sites are always coming online so check Google for the latest information. Given the popularity of the NBA around the world, it won’t be hard to find a Chicago Bulls live stream for any televised game.
Live streaming also give you the option of selecting from a variety of speeds to find the one that works the best with your Internet connection. You can also choose how you want to watch–on your computer, on your smartphone/tablet or a set-top streaming device like Roku or AppleTV. There’s no easier and more comprehensive way to watch streaming Bulls basketball online, and it won’t cost you a cent!