Chicago Bulls: 15 toughest players in franchise history

You may not think a player who was known throughout the league and by his teammates, as a “gentle giant” would find himself on a ranking of toughest players, but for a number of reasons, former center Tom Boerwinkle belongs on this list.

Boerwinkle was best known for his work ethic, which came to embody the style of play his teams played with. While the Bulls teams of his era were talented, they did not get by on talent alone. Rather they played hard-nosed basketball night in and night out.

His teammates came to love Boerwinkle for his willingness to put in the extra work and battle every game. And as the man in the middle of all the chaos, the 7-foot, 265-pound Boerwinkle went to battle every night with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willis Reed, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Walton and Moses Malone.

Over the course of his career, he averaged a modest 7.2 points per game but pulled down a respectable 9 rebounds per contest. He was the kind of guy that played his tail off and fought you on the court, but was as humble and kind as they come off it.

Unfortunately, Boerwinkle passed away at the young age of 67 after battling leukemia, against which he fought valiantly and tenaciously just like he did throughout his time with the Bulls. Although gone far too soon, the gentle giant and kind-hearted Boerwinkle made the fans proud and represented the city well. And for that, he earns a spot on our list.