(AUDACY) Did you know that Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls? The former Washington Wizard was pretty good in the Windy City, actually — maybe not quite as productive as he was in his memorable stint with the 1994 Birmingham Barons, but pretty damn good when they needed him to be.
All kidding aside, let's take a look at some players who suited up for the Bulls whom you may have forgotten about.
George Gervin (1985-'86 season)
George Gervin had a Hall of Fame career that ended with the Bulls.Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesThe Iceman currently sits at No. 17 points on the all-time scoring list, but without his Bulls stint at the end of his career, he'd only be at No. 25 -- "only."
That's because he was still an effective scorer at age 33 in what would ultimately be the last year he played in the NBA, when he averaged 16.2 points per game. Gervin had some vintage performances, including a turn-back-the-clock 45-point display in the absence of a young Jordan. Perhaps it was some of Gervin's guidance that helped Jordan to take a preposterously large step up in his third season, when he averaged 37.1 points per game to lead the league in scoring and set his career-high.
A Hall of Famer, Gervin would leave the NBA after his Chicago stint and head over to Europe for the bulk of his remaining playing days.
Brent Barry (1998-'99)
Brent Barry's shooting woes turned around once he left the Bulls.Elsa Hasch /Allsport/Getty ImagesThe son of Rick Barry never quite lived up to the lofty standards set by his Hall of Fame father, but Barry was a respectable player in his own right with two NBA titles, both with the Spurs. Whether you remember him best for his pair of championships, his dead-on accuracy from beyond the arc or his 1996 slam dunk contest victory...
...what you don't remember him best for is his 37-game stint as a Bull. He played a big role in that small sample size, starting 30 games and playing nearly 32 minutes per game. However, his 3-point shooting performance, which in two years would become nearly the best in the league (47.6% in 2000-'01), was woeful at just 30.2%. For that reason, he wouldn't last long in Chicago and would be swapped out for our next entrant on the list.
Hersey Hawkins (1999-'00)
Hersey Hawkins was acquired in a deal that sent Brent Barry out of Chicago.Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty ImagesIn exchange for Barry, the Bulls received veteran shooting guard Hersey Hawkins (and James Cotton). Hawkins was a former All-Star for the 76ers who spent at least three seasons with each of Philadelphia, Seattle and Charlotte. He scored in double figures, on average, with all three of those organizations, led by the 19.0 points-per-game figure from his five years in Philadelphia.
With Chicago, at 33 years old, Hawkins scored just 7.9 points per game in a mostly starting capacity, shooting just 42.4% from the field but playing plus defense. A year after the Bulls acquired him, they waived him.
John Starks (1999-'00)
More commonly remembered as an opponent of Chicago, Starks was briefly a Bull.Jonathan Daniel /Allsport/Getty ImagesRemembered by Chicago fans much more as a frequent adversary than as a Bull himself, Starks was a go-to wing scorer for the Knicks throughout practically the entire 1990s. He met the Bulls 30 times in the regular season, matched up against them 28 times in the postseason ... and played for them four times in the 1999-'00 campaign.
In those four games, Starks scored a total of 30 points on 32.4% shooting from the floor.
Jimmer Fredette (2013-'14)
One of the many unsuccessful NBA stops Jimmer Fredette made was in Chicago.Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesFor eight games in the 2013-'14 season, Fredette set the world on fire as a Chicago Bull -- by playing seven minutes per game, scoring a total of 32 points and being about as forgettable as you can possibly be.
This wasn't the Fredette who was setting records in every game he played at BYU and sinking 40-foot treys like they were nothing. He never really was that in the NBA. But whereas he had some semblance of an exciting moment in the pros with some other teams, he just didn't do anything in Chicago.
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