The Bulls were one of the worst teams in the league in the aftermath of Michael Jordan’s second retirement. They didn’t sniff the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, with only one of those years seeing 30 wins. A 23-59 record in the 2003-04 season gave them the third pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, and the Bulls used that pick to select Ben Gordon out of UConn.
Gordon took the league by storm as the Bulls made a 24-win improvement to finish the 2004-05 season with a 47-35 record and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 6-foot-3 guard poured in 15.1 points per game and scored in double figures 21 times in the fourth quarter, second to only LeBron James. Gordon’s scoring exploits garnered him Sixth Man of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Rookie first team.
Gordon was a prolific scorer throughout his five years in Chicago. He notched over 20 points per game twice and scored a career-high 48 points in a March 2007 game. He scored 18.5 points per game in his Bulls career, which is just outside the top 10 in team history.
Gordon’s 3-point prowess was a big reason for his success. He never shot under 40.5 percent from 3 as a Bull and hit 41.5 percent over his five years, placing him sixth in franchise history. His 770 made triples are second behind only Kirk Hinrich, his teammate for all five seasons in Chicago. In 2006, Gordon tied an NBA record for consecutive made 3s in a game with nine.
Gordon scored 24.3 points per game in the thrilling seven-game series against the Boston Celtics in 2009, including a 42-point effort, but he left the Bulls after that season to sign a big contract with the Detroit Pistons.