The Chicago Bulls became one of the most important sports franchises in the world thanks to Michael Jordan. MJ’s success for the Windy City, specifically bringing them six NBA titles in the 90s, cemented the team as a dynasty, one that has big footsteps to fill. Josh Giddey hopes to carry that incredible legacy on for the Bulls, but even he is unaware of the effect that His Airness still has in Chicago.
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The 22-year-old Aussie star joined the Bulls in June of 2024 after starting his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chicago fans were ecstatic to have a player as dynamic as Giddey on their squad. He immediately made an impact, becoming only the third Bulls player in history to have 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists in a single season. The other two names? Scottie Pippen and MJ himself.
But even knowing the history of the Bulls, Giddey himself is still uncertain of what Jordan means to Chicago. He spoke about this during a recent interview on Ball Magnets, where he was asked whether the city still has an aura around it because of MJ.
“Yeah, there’s a big statue in the arena,” he answered. “But I don’t know. I never met him or anything like that. I don’t know what his presence is like in Chicago.”
The young baller later clarified that since Jordan has not come to a game at United Center in years, it’s hard for him to judge what the people would do if they saw the b-ball God.
“Obviously the Bulls are famous because of Jordan,” he added. “It’s a complete global brand. Anywhere you go in the world you find Lakers jerseys, Celtics jerseys, and always Bulls jerseys, and obviously Jordan’s a massive part of that.”
It’s understandable what Giddey is saying. The global impact Jordan had didn’t just make him one of the most famous people in the world. It helped the NBA grow infinitely in its popularity overseas, which meant a whole lot more money for everyone. That said, hearing stories about MJ’s greatness at the United Center and seeing it for yourself are two different things.
“I’ve never met him. I’ve never seen him around Chicago,” he stated again to further drive home his point. Hopefully, Giddey doesn’t get blasted by fans for this. The talented point guard clearly loves Jordan, but Australia and the Windy City are two completely different vibes. He’ll get there eventually.
As for Jordan, Chicago was completely different before him, and drastically changed after him. At 31 years old, a statue of MJ was built in front of the United Center. The people there treated him like the second coming of Christ. And he wasn’t far off.
What’s funny is that, as great at basketball as MJ was, and as confident as he was, he once admitted that Chicago scared him. “I was happy. I was scared. I was nervous. I was coming from a city that didn’t have too many success stories. I wanted to be a pioneer,” he said during a 1993 interview with Larry King.
That first is always scary, Mike. But with the benefit of hindsight, I think it’s safe to say that you did alright for yourself.
