# 1996–97 Chicago Bulls season
The 1996–97 [Chicago Bulls](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-bulls) season was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA) campaign in which the defending-champion Chicago Bulls went 69–13, won the Central Division, and captured the franchise's fifth championship by defeating the [Utah Jazz](https://www.edgepedia.org/utah-jazz) in six games in the 1997 NBA Finals. It was the second season of the Bulls' second three-peat.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular season | 69–13 (.841), first place in the NBA Central Division, matching the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers for the second-best record in NBA history at the time[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97) |
| Scoring | 103.1 points per game (1st of 29) scored, 92.3 allowed (6th); offensive rating 114.4 (1st), defensive rating 102.4 (4th), net rating +12.0 (1st)[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html) |
| Leaders | Michael Jordan led the NBA in scoring at 29.6 points per game; Dennis Rodman led the league in rebounding at 16.1 per game; Scottie Pippen added 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and team highs of 5.7 assists and 1.8 steals[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97) |
| Coach and executive | Phil Jackson (69–13); general manager Jerry Krause[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html) |
| Playoffs | Swept Washington 3–0, beat Atlanta 4–1 and Miami 4–1, then defeated Utah 4–2 in the Finals[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html) |
| Finals MVP | Michael Jordan, his fifth Finals MVP award; he finished second in regular-season MVP voting behind Utah's Karl Malone[3](https://www.nba.com/news/chicago-bulls-nba-championships) |
| Home | United Center, total attendance 978,457 (2nd of 29 teams)[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html) |
## Regular season
Chicago entered the season as the heavy favorite after its record 72–10 championship year of 1995–96; bookmakers listed the Bulls at +100 to repeat as champions with an over/under of 64.5 wins[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html). The team met expectations behind the same core of Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman, with [Ron Harper](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-harper) and [Toni Kukoč](https://www.edgepedia.org/toni-kukoc) in prominent supporting roles. Jordan won his seventh scoring title at 29.6 points per game, Rodman led the league in rebounding for a sixth straight season at 16.1 per game, and Pippen served as the team's all-around secondary creator[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97).
The Bulls' efficiency profile placed them at or near the top of the league on both ends: first of 29 teams in points scored (103.1 per game), offensive rating (114.4), and net rating (+12.0), and fourth in points allowed (92.3) and defensive rating (102.4)[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html). Their 69–13 record, a .841 winning percentage, equaled the 1971–72 Lakers for the second-best record in NBA history at that point, behind only their own 72–10 from the previous season[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97). Three losses in the final four games, by which time the Bulls had already secured the top seed, kept Chicago from becoming the first team with back-to-back 70-win seasons[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97).
Chicago won the Central Division by 13 games over the [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-hawks), who had added Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97). The season was the NBA's 50th anniversary, celebrated with the naming of the league's 50 greatest players, several of them Bulls[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97).
## Playoffs
The playoff run was nearly as clean as the regular season. Chicago swept the Washington Bullets in the first round, then eliminated the Atlanta Hawks and the [Miami Heat](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-heat) in five games each in the conference semifinals and finals[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html). Jordan scored 55 points in Game 2 of the first-round series against Washington[4](https://theanalyst.com/articles/1990s-michael-jordan-and-chicago-bulls-dynasty-teams), and Pippen's late three-pointer saved Game 1 against Atlanta[5](https://www.historic-newspapers.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/10/chicago-bulls-contents-2021-wp.pdf).
[The Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-finals) matched Chicago against a Utah Jazz team making its first Finals appearance, led by [John Stockton](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-stockton) and [Karl Malone](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-malone). Malone had won his first regular-season MVP that year, with Jordan second in the voting[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97). Jordan opened the series with a 31-point performance capped by a 20-foot jumper from the left wing over Bryon Russell at the buzzer for an 84–82 win in Game 1, the first game-winning shot at the buzzer in the Finals since 1985[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-bulls-vs-jazz-1997-finals). After Chicago took a 2–0 lead with a 97–85 win, the series shifted to Salt Lake City, where Utah won twice to even the series at 2–2[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-bulls-vs-jazz-1997-finals).
**The Flu Game.** In Game 5, Jordan played despite flu-like symptoms and a soaring temperature and scored 38 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, as the Bulls outlasted the Jazz to take a 3–2 lead[7](https://www.nba.com/watch/list/collection/1997-nba-finals-jazz-vs-bulls). Chicago closed the series in Game 6, with [Steve Kerr](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-kerr) nailing a jumper late to give the Bulls their fifth championship of the Jordan era[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-bulls-vs-jazz-1997-finals). Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fifth time[3](https://www.nba.com/news/chicago-bulls-nba-championships).
## How it compared with the 1995–96 Bulls
The 1996–97 team is measured against its immediate predecessor, which went 72–10. By the advanced ratings, the earlier team was stronger: the 1995–96 Bulls posted a simple rating system (SRS) score of 11.80 against 10.70 in 1996–97, an offensive rating of 115.2 against 114.4, and a defensive rating of 101.8 against 102.4[8](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/). SRS combines average point margin and strength of schedule into a single rating of overall dominance. The 1996–97 team's +12.0 net rating was nonetheless first in the league and among the highest recorded by a champion[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html).
The two seasons together form the best back-to-back regular seasons in NBA history by win total, 141 wins against 23 losses, and the 1996–97 title completed the middle leg of the Bulls' second three-peat, which ended with a 62–20 season and sixth championship in 1997–98[3](https://www.nba.com/news/chicago-bulls-nba-championships).
## Legacy
The 1996–97 Bulls are remembered for the Flu Game, Jordan's Game 1 buzzer-beater, and Kerr's clinching shot, moments that fixed the series against Utah as one of the most memorable Finals in NBA history[6](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-bulls-vs-jazz-1997-finals). The championship was the franchise's fifth, all won in the 1990s, and the second of three consecutive titles won by the Jordan–Pippen–Rodman core from 1996 through 1998[3](https://www.nba.com/news/chicago-bulls-nba-championships).
## References
1. [1996-97 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1997.html)
2. [Season Review: 1996-97, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1996-97)
3. [Chicago Bulls' NBA championships, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/chicago-bulls-nba-championships)
4. [Style Points: How the Bulls' Dynasty Teams Measure Up, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/1990s-michael-jordan-and-chicago-bulls-dynasty-teams)
5. [Chicago Bulls – The 1990s Dynasty, Historic Newspapers](https://www.historic-newspapers.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/10/chicago-bulls-contents-2021-wp.pdf)
6. [Top Moments: Bulls beat Jazz in memorable 1997 Finals, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-bulls-vs-jazz-1997-finals)
7. [NBA Finals 1997 collection, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/watch/list/collection/1997-nba-finals-jazz-vs-bulls)
8. [Chicago Bulls Historical Statistics, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records › NBA seasons and team seasons › NBA team seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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