The four horsemen of Chicago Bulls franchise rivalry hatred are a quartet of NBA franchises that have engaged the Bulls in some of the most intense, violent basketball games in franchise history: the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat.
January 16, 1988: The Bulls and Pistons brawl in Chicago.
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) January 16, 2025
Rick Mahorn (DET) and Charles Oakley (CHI) were ejected. Mahorn was fined $5,000 and suspended for one game. Oakley was fined $2,000. Bulls coach Doug Collins was fined $1,500.
Chicago's Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant &… pic.twitter.com/sHQh116VKW
Given the pathetic deficit of both national relevance and playoff appearances the Bulls have acquired since trading their last superstar, forward Jimmy Butler, rivalry games have not been a prominent feature of Bulls basketball for nearly a decade (despite Adam Silver’s NBA marketing goals).
The hope for the Bulls is that one day they’ll rise to NBA power in a Tony Montana-like fashion of priorities: first you get the talent, then you get the wins, then you get the rivals. Bulls lead front-office executive Bryson Graham’s nascent roster talent acquisition started in earnest by drafting forward Caleb Wilson. Whether Graham can build a winner around Wilson remains to be seen.
Yet, wading into the optimism some Bulls fans may have about the trajectory of Caleb Wilson’s Chicago Bulls, if the franchise indeed returns to NBA glory, there is a new rivalry frontier for the Bulls to explore in their matchups with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The foreshadowing of a Grizzlies-Bulls rivalry
A core catalyst for both the Grizzlies and Bulls to eventually collide into full-blown NBA rivals mode centers on their respective 2026 NBA Draft lottery selection in forward Cameron Boozer for the Grizzlies and forward Caleb Wilson for the Bulls.
NBA fans didn’t have to wait long after the 2026 NBA Draft to get their first episode of Boozer vs. Wilson when both franchises’ summer league squads faced each other in the Bulls' first 2026 Las Vegas Summer League game of the exhibition tournament.
Caleb Wilson with a MONSTER debut!
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) July 11, 2026
35 points | 7-11 from three | 2 stl | 3 blk pic.twitter.com/G8bMfMhxLT
As a team, the Bulls didn’t get a win out of the clash, but Caleb Wilson didn’t hold anything back in the game against his college rival Boozer.
Presumably, the Grizzlies have a young core they’ll invest in with the combination of Boozer, guard Cedric Coward, and center Zach Edey. As for the Bulls, the wing tandem of Wilson and Matas Buzelis, and guard Josh Giddey should be the focal point of the Bulls’ rebuild endeavors.
Here’s the catch with NBA rivalries
Again, despite the absurd machinations of the NBA’s “rivalry week” gimmick over the last few seasons. NBA rivalries start in the NBA Playoffs and ultimately are maintained in the playoffs. So the final, but critical, piece for the Bulls and Grizzlies becoming a legitimate NBA rivalry is an NBA Playoffs series matchup.
The good news, barring a conference realignment, is that the only way the Bulls and Grizzlies will match up in the playoffs will be due to the Bulls returning to the NBA Finals after 28 years and the Grizzlies winning their first conference title in franchise history.
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