When discussing the assets that Bulls EVP basketball operations Bryson Graham has at his disposal to turn around this franchise - draft picks, cap space, young players - the energy of the UC shouldn’t be discounted. NBA players want to play for a home crowd that has their back.
The Chicago Bulls traditionally lack the reputation of being an NBA franchise that attracts superstars or free agents. Despite the reputation, the Bulls received a modest amount of recognition (subscription required) in The Athletic’s 2026 Anonymous NBA Players Poll.
The Poll surveyed 161 NBA players with a variety of questions. When gauging the survey population on the question “Which arena has the most passionate fans?”, the Bulls pleasantly landed in a tie for fifth place with the Cleveland Cavaliers at 3.1 percent of the polled survey participants.
3.1 percent of 161 NBA players is not a landslide victory, however, as a franchise desperate to turn around its standing in the NBA's hierarchy, it’s a nice development that a plurality of players recognize the caliber of fan energy that emanates from a Chicago Bulls home crowd at the United Center.
Bulls fans' devotion to the United Center is unshakeable
It should also come as no surprise to Bulls fans that home games at the United Center are a stockpile of fervent support for the Bulls, regardless of the quality of the roster that occupies the floor. The conclusion of the 2025-26 NBA regular season marks the Bulls' fifth consecutive season as the number one arena attendance franchise in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.
If Bulls fans turn out for middling rosters that have only earned one single playoff victory in the five years of leading the NBA in attendance, imagine how raucous the United Center will be if the Bulls hit on their 2026 NBA draft picks. Visualize how much red will be seen if Graham’s new front office regime leads Matas Buzelis to realizing 2027 NBA All-Star potential.
Bulls fans still don't know what to expect yet from a largely untested Noa Essengue. Bulls fans should be ecstatic to see if Leonard Miller's post-2025 NBA trade deadline flashes of hope coalesce into a full season of expiring contract promise.
Again, approximately five NBA players doesn’t indicate a majority opinion on much of anything. However, the passion of the Bulls’ home crowds being recognized on any level with NBA players is a small victory for the long road ahead to return the Chicago Bulls to relevancy among an important league constituency, the players.
Add us as a preferred source on Google