Michael Jordan remains the most iconic figure in basketball history that holds great relevance over two decades after he retired. The Chicago Bulls witnessed the NBA changing forever when Jordan was drafted there and matured into the best player of his generation. Jordan became a huge pop culture figure that helped basketball grow beyond sports.
Chicago had many memorable players like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Horace Grant as his supporting cast. Even the later years on the Washington Wizards had some interesting names in the otherwise disappointing tenure. The following teammates spent time on the same side as Jordan with few fans remembering it today.
10 Charles Oakley
The earlier years of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls career featured a favorite teammate most fans forget. Charles Oakley was trying to carve his identity in the league making hard nosed plays and standing out for his toughness before players like Dennis Rodman made careers off that reputation.
Jordan was actually livid when Chicago traded Oakley to the New York Knicks for veteran Bill Cartwright. Even thought Cartwright contributed multiple rings, Jordan mocked him with the insult “Medical Bill” referencing his injuries. Oakley took off more for the Knicks to have Jordan express his anger towards Cartwright.
9 Jerry Stackhouse
Michael Jordan coming out of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards in the early 2000s led to some surprising new teammates. The ownership stake in the Wizards influenced Jordan to come back on the court and lead a new group.
One of Jordan’s bigger moves saw him trading for Jerry Stackhouse to be his sidekick. Stackhouse was one season off his previous career high of scoring 29.8 points in a single season. Unfortunately, Jordan and Stackhouse couldn’t form chemistry to make the playoffs.
8 Robert Parish
Michael Jordan teaming with a former nine-time All-Star and no one talking about it feels impossible to believe today. However, many fans didn’t even care since Robert Parish was well past his prime and a bench fixture playing ten minutes per game on the Chicago Bulls.
The better years of Parish’s career came with the Boston Celtics as a huge part of three NBA Championships in the 1980s. Chicago added Parish for his locker room presence when winning one more ring in 1997 with Jordan before retirement.
7 Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner and Michael Jordan could have been rivals given their importance for the Duke and North Carolina college men’s basketball teams. However, the NBA would see them ending up on the same team of the Washington Wizards.
Even though Laettner couldn’t match his all-time great college success in the NBA, he had an underrated run for a few seasons. Jordan added Laettner to the Wizards hoping another player with winning experience could have changed the culture.
6 John Salley
The “bad boys” era of the Detroit Pistons created Michael Jordan’s biggest rival before he won his first NBA Championship. John Salley was a bench player for the Pistons during their huge victories eliminating the Chicago Bulls until Jordan finally overcame them.
Most of the Bad Boy Pistons held on to the grudge, but Salley ended up becoming a teammate of Jordan for Chicago’s iconic 1996 season. The Bulls going 72-10 and cruising to another title saw Salley enjoying the perks of teaming with Jordan after having to face him for years.
5 Ron Harper
Another respected veteran joined the Chicago Bulls when Ron Harper became the starting point guard for the late 90s team. Most fans think of Steve Kerr more in that role since he hit a few clutch shots and was trusted in the closing minutes when needing a score.
However, it was Harper starting in a smaller role after his previous success with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers. Chicago did not get the best of Harper, but he was good enough to play solid team ball on offense and above average defense in a backcourt with Michael Jordan.
4 Tyronn Lue
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is known for his basketball intelligence these days, but he was once a respected NBA player. Lue was never going to make an All-Star team and accepting that made him become a role player with a strong reputation in the league.
Moments like Allen Iverson crossing over Lue and stepping over him can be used to mock him, but Lue was in important games due to his tough defense and scrappy nature. Michael Jordan wanted Lue on the bench for the Washington Wizards since he represented things they lacked.
3 Craig Hodges
One of the more interesting stories of forgotten Michael Jordan teammates focused on Craig Hodges. The NBA saw Hodges becoming a premiere three-point shooter for the Chicago Bulls at a time when that skill set was harder to find.
Chicago benefited from Hodges being a bench player for two NBA Championship teams and a three-time three-point contest winner. However, an earlier passion for social justice rights by Hodges upset many people in the league to eventually blacklist him. Hodges felt saddened that Jordan didn’t speak up for him or want to help the community in the manner he did.
2 Richard Hamilton
The Washington Wizards chapter of Michael Jordan’s career thankfully gets overlooked for his sake. Jordan clearly made a mistake to play for a losing team after the dream retirement. The front office decisions of Jordan doomed him more than anything else.
Richard Hamilton was the best player to team up with Jordan in Washington, but they couldn’t get on the same page. Jordan traded Hamilton to the Detroit Pistons after one season together for Jerry Stackhouse. Hamilton matured into a three-time All-Star and was the best scorer on an NBA Championship team.
1 George Gervin
Two top ten all-time NBA scorers in the points per game category being on the same team is a scenario that would be talked about ad nauseum today, but it was overlooked in 1986. George Gervin averaged 26.2 points per game in his career and ended up on the same team with 30.1 point per game scorer Michael Jordan.
This gets forgotten due to Gervin being at the end of the road and only spending one season in Chicago before retirement. Gervin still contributed with 16.2 points per game, but the team wasn’t ready to contend. Jordan got to play with another legendary scorer for one season before finding his ideal sidekick of Scottie Pippen.