For the Bulls, Christmas Day has always been more than just another date on the calendar. It has been the league’s quiet signal that Chicago belongs in the conversation that matters - the one reserved for teams with stars, momentum, and a real place in the NBA spotlight.
That’s why the franchise’s place on the holiday slate carries so much weight. The NBA’s Christmas Day showcase has become the league’s annual badge of honor, and Chicago has earned 15 of those games since 1979. In a league built on constant change, that kind of visibility still says something.
This year’s Christmas schedule will again feature five games on Friday, Dec. 25, the 19th straight season with ABC and ESPN carrying every matchup. Among the highlights: the first Knicks-Spurs meeting since the 2026 NBA Finals, plus new 76er LeBron James’ return.
Chicago’s own history on Christmas stretches across several different eras, and the pattern tells the story of the franchise itself. The Bulls first showed up on the holiday stage in 1986, when a young Michael Jordan and the Knicks’ Patrick Ewing met at Madison Square Garden.
The game ended in heartbreak for Chicago, with Ewing’s put-back giving New York an 86-85 win. Jordan still put up 30 points, six steals, five assists, and two blocks.
The Bulls were back in 1990, this time hosting the Pistons in a game that helped frame what came next. Chicago won that one, then later met Detroit again in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals and swept the series on the way to the franchise’s first NBA Finals trip and first title. That championship opened the door to a long run of Christmas appearances: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997.
After another long gap, the Bulls returned to the holiday spotlight in 2010 with Derrick Rose as the face of the team. The 2011 game against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers turned into a one-point Chicago win, 88-87, sealed when the Bulls blocked Bryant’s final shot. Under Tom Thibodeau, it was the kind of finish that fit the team’s identity.
Chicago then stayed in that mix for five straight Christmas Days from 2012 through 2016, with Jimmy Butler taking over as the franchise centerpiece.
Now the standard is clear again. If Bulls lead front-office executive Bryson Graham wants this rebuild to become something bigger, the path runs through the same place it always has: building a team good enough to get back on Christmas Day. With Graham, head coach Tiago Splitter, and prospective future face of the franchise Caleb Wilson, that’s the level the franchise is chasing.
In Other News...
Bulls Still Have One Clear Problem Tiago Splitter Must Solve
The Bulls are still staring at the same roster issue that has dogged them for a while: the shooting just does not stretch the floor enough. With Tiago Splitter taking over, the focus now shifts to whether he can squeeze more spacing out of a group that needs it, because the rest of the offense is going to feel cramped until that problem gets addressed.
Chicago does have a new voice on the bench, but coaching only goes so far if the personnel keeps inviting the same defensive help and the same late-clock shots. The interesting part now is whether Splitter leans on adjustments, role changes or lineup combinations to make the Bulls more dangerous from deep, since this is the clearest weakness on the roster and the one that could shape how far the team goes next season. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Still Have One Roster Decision That Could Change Things
Bryson Graham has made it clear the Bulls are not rushing their roster overhaul, even after adding veterans like Norman Powell and Nic Claxton. Chicagos new front office leader is still leaning into patience, with the focus centered on developing young pieces such as Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis while leaving one roster spot open as the rest of the league sorts itself out.
The remaining opening still matters, though, because it gives the Bulls a chance to make one more meaningful swing if the right situation develops. Chicago has stayed in the mix around restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin and has also been keeping an eye on Peyton Watsons contract situation, but for now the team is in the familiar wait-and-see phase, weighing whether to stay steady or use that last spot to alter the direction of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Face New Pressure In Bennedict Mathurin Chase
Restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin suddenly has a much less settled market after the Clippers recent Bradley Beal acquisition, and the ripple effect has only widened the conversation around where he might end up. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Mathurin and his representatives are in talks with the Clippers, Bulls, Pelicans and Bucks, keeping Chicago in the middle of a pursuit that has quickly become one of the more intriguing free-agent sagas of the summer.
For the Bulls, the appeal is obvious: Mathurin is the kind of young, productive wing talent that can change the shape of a roster, and any uncertainty around his next landing spot keeps Chicagos front office on alert. The situation is still fluid, though, with Milwaukee now part of the discussion and trade chatter beginning to surface around what a deal could look like if the market moves in that direction. [Read more 🡒]