Chicago Bulls: 15 toughest players in franchise history

The next entrant on our list may not be the most popular person in the City of Chicago at the moment. With the Chicago Bears on the rise, most, if not all, of the city’s ire is focused on current Bulls president of basketball operations John Paxson.

During his tenure in this role, the Bulls have not enjoyed very much success and have seemed mired in a constant rebuild, often without appearing to have a plan for the future. However, opinions about his performance as a front office executive aside, you cannot discount just how tough of a player he was when he was on the court with the Bulls from 1985 to 1994.

Paxson never lit up the box score, as he only averaged 7.2 points, 1.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game throughout his 11-year career. That being said, Paxson brought more than just stats to the court — specifically intangibles and a hard-nosed work ethic.

Look, anyone who earns the trust of Michael Jordan on the basketball court must be doing something right. Perhaps no play is more representative of the respect he had for Paxson than the final seconds in Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals.

Down two points to the Phoenix Suns with just over 14 seconds left in the game, it wasn’t Jordan who took the final shot, but Paxson on a kick out three from Horace Grant. It is pretty well-known that Jordan really enjoyed playing with Paxson. That was due in large part to his toughness and willingness to do all the little things on the court.

That toughness can also be seen in his philosophy as an executive where he has favored the disciplinarian style of a coach like Jim Boylen. Bulls fans will have to wait and see if it translates to results.