Bulls head coach Billy Donovan was officially inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, permanently enshrining Chicago's leader in hoops immortality.
Donovan, who won two collegiate National Championships as the coach of Florida, became the first current or former Bulls player and coach to enter the Hall since Pau Gasol and Dwyane Wade in 2023. He likely won't have to wait long for another, as several ex-Bulls could join him in the coming years.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame requires that NBA players be retired for four full seasons before they can be inducted. The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov gave his picks for players that are likely to reach the Hall in future years, and the writer's list featured five current or former Chicago Bulls.
Among retired players, center Joakim Noah is the only ex-Bull that could earn the honor in 2026. Chicago drafted Noah with the No. 9 overall pick in 2007, and the big man proceeded to become one of the defining players of the 2010s Bulls. Over his nine seasons with the team, Noah was a two-time All-Star and won the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year award.
"Only 14 players have ever made First Team All-NBA but missed out on the Hall if eligible," Vorkunov wrote. "Only seven have won Defensive Player of the Year but not made the Hall. Noah and [Marc] Gasol are on both lists... Noah only has one astounding season on the back of his trading card, but he finished fourth in MVP voting in 2014 while making first team All-NBA, and he did win two NCAA titles at the University of Florida, which certainly won’t hurt his case."
Vorkunov listed Noah, who retired from the NBA in 2021 and is eligible for the 2026 Hall of Fame class, as "In the Mix" to be enshrined. The tier also included Noah's former teammate, Derrick Rose, and one-year Bull Rajon Rondo. Although Rose's career was derailed by a devastating ACL injury, the 2011 MVP award will likely weigh heavily on the minds of the Committee.
Two active players cracked the list, both with better odds to reach the Hall of Fame than Noah, Rose and Rondo. Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler, who played in Chicago from 2011 to 2017, was named a "lock," while Sacramento Kings wing DeMar DeRozan was surprisingly included as a "near-lock." The six-time All-Star had a consistent career between Toronto, San Antonio and Chicago before joining the Kings last offseason, but DeRozan's peak wasn't quite at the level of players in lower tiers.
However, Vorkunov argues that the pure volume of points scored is enough to secure DeRozan's spot in the Hall of Fame.
"DeRozan may have accumulated too many points to keep out of the Hall of Fame but he will surely serve as a test case for the limits of the increased offense and longevity of players during this era," Vorkunov said. "He ranks 25th in points in NBA history and 49th in career points per game. If he scores at least 1,500 points this season, he’ll crack the top 15 on the all-time list. Can voters keep a player like that out of the Hall? Probably not."
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