It's one of the most heralded records in sports history. For exactly 20 years, the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls have held claim to the best regular season ever seen in the NBA—72 wins.
However, the record might be on the brink of being broken. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr (a member of those 1995-96 Bulls), have positioned themselves to catch the UnBeataBulls this year. As the final games of the season play out, we’re taking a look back at the Bulls roster to see what sneakers they wore en route to their historic title.
THE PLAYERS
After being bounced by the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Playoffs, the Chicago Bulls made sure that wouldn’t happen the following year. Michael Jordan was so determined to get back into basketball shape during the offseason that he held private workouts with other NBA players in Los Angeles while shooting the movie Space Jam. With Jordan back for his first full season after playing baseball, and the offseason acquisition of Dennis Rodman to shore up their needs at power forward, the team returned with a vengeance for the 1995-96 season. Former Bulls nemesis John Salley was added to the roster late in the season, and went on to come off the bench for the playoff run.
Check out this interactive guide for more information on each player. Click on the dot on each jersey to see how they contributed to the record-breaking season.
(photo via NBA Photo Library/NBAE/Getty Images)
THE LOSSES
Unlike this year’s Warriors who began the season with a 28-game win streak, the 1995-96 Bulls kicked things off with a modest five straight wins before suffering their first lost of the season to the Magic—the same team that ousted them from the playoffs the previous season. Their second loss would come less than two weeks later. As we know, the Bulls turned that decent start into a season for the history books. The team only lost back-to-back games once, and only lost twice to the same team.
Here’s a breakdown of every regular season loss. Click the dots above and below each player for more details.
(photo by David E. Klutho /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
THE SNEAKERS
When it comes to basketball sneakers, no era is more heralded than the mid-‘90s. And with three of that decade’s top athletes in Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman on the same team, the 1995-96 Bulls provided almost as many sneaker highlights as basketball ones. From signature models to top-level team kicks, nearly every player on the roster laced up memorable sneakers. Even the takedown models of the day were retro-worthy. No member of the team wore a non-Nike shoe.
Here’s a look at the most notable models worn by each player on the Playoff roster. Click each player's sneakers to see the models that they wore.
(photo via Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)
