Who are the top international players in Bulls history?
Bienvenue, Noa Essengue.
The 6-foot-11 French forward became the Bulls’ latest dip into the deep international pool of players when they selected him 12th overall in last week’s NBA Draft.
The Bulls never boasted a player to the level of Hakeem Olajuwon or Nikola Jokic. Think more along the lines of Dalibor Bargaric, Paul Zipser and Marko Simonovic.
But the Bulls also have hit on several international players. This edition of the High Five looks at some of the best.
5. Lauri Markkanen, Finland
Selected seventh overall by Minnesota in 2017, Markkanen was traded to the Bulls on draft night as part of the blockbuster Jimmy Butler-Zach LaVine deal.
He played only four seasons in Chicago before being dealt to Cleveland, but Markkanen showed flashes of developing into an All-Star caliber player. He averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds with the Bulls, eventually becoming an All-Star with Utah.
4. Joakim Noah, France
Noah lands on the list with an asterisk because he was born in the United States, attended high school here and starred at the University of Florida. But he’s also the son of former tennis champion Yannick Noah and spent 10 years of his childhood in France.
The hard-nosed post spent nine seasons with the Bulls, his best coming in 2013-14 when he was named the defensive player of the year and finished fourth in the MVP voting.
He averaged 9.3 points and 9.4 rebounds with the Bulls.
3. Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro
From the trade that brought him to the Bulls in 2021, to the contract extension he received in 2023 and the trade rumors that have surrounded him ever since, Vucevic has been a divisive player among fans and analysts.
But the 6-foot-10 center is immensely skilled, even with his numbers dropping off a bit from his Orlando days. Vucevic, coming off his best year with the Bulls, has averaged 18.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in five seasons with the team.
2. Luol Deng, Sudan
Deng was a cornerstone player on some of the best Bulls teams in recent memory. Led by Derrick Rose, the Bulls reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2011 with Deng providing yeoman defense on Miami’s LeBron James.
Deng twice led the NBA in average minutes played and twice finished in the top 10 for defensive player of the year. He averaged 16.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in nine-plus seasons with the Bulls.
1. Toni Kukoc, Croatia
The only player on the list who wasn’t a regular starter for much of his time with the Bulls, Kukoc still became a critical part of the second three-peat when Michael Jordan returned from his brief retirement.
Kukoc — a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame — was the league’s sixth man of the year in 1995-96 and finished second the next season. A wizard with the ball, he averaged 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in six-plus seasons with the Bulls.