Who Won the 1996 NBA Finals?

The 1996 NBA Finals was one of the most exciting Finals series in recent memory. The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, took on the Seattle SuperSonics, led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. After a back-and-forth series, the Bulls ultimately won in six games.

The teams

The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1995–96 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs faced the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls. These two teams had met before in the Playoffs, with the Bulls winning in 1991 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the Spurs winning in 1985 in the Western Conference Finals.

The Chicago Bulls

The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 1995–96 season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls, with the Bulls winning the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for a record fourth time.

The Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics, led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, won the 1996 NBA Finals, defeating the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games. The Sonics were the first team from the Western Conference to win an NBA title since 1982, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the then-defending champion Philadelphia 76ers.

The players

Michael Jordan was the star of the 1996 Chicago Bulls, and he led them to victory in the NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics. Jordan was named the Finals MVP, and he averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in the series. Other key players for the Bulls included Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player and the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. His biography on the official NBA website states: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.” Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jordan played three seasons for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick and quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from free throws line which earned him nicknames Air Jordan and His Airness, earned him instant stardom as he entered the league. This contributed to his rise to superstardom in course of his career. By 1991, he had become a cultural icon and was earning an estimated $30 million annually from product endorsements.

Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen was the star player for the Chicago Bulls during their 1996 NBA Finals victory. He averaged 21.0 points, 8.7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game during the series, and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

Dennis Rodman

Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was nicknamed “The Worm” and is famous for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities.

Rodman played at the small forward position in his early years before becoming a power forward. He earned NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice. He also led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships. His biography at NBA.com states that he is “arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history”. On April 1, 2011, the Pistons retired Rodman’s #10 jersey, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later that year.

The coaches

Pat Riley coached the Miami Heat to their first ever NBA finals victory in 2006 against the Dallas Mavericks. Riley had been to the NBA Finals as a head coach previously, but had never won the title.

Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls to victory in the 1996 NBA Finals. This was the fourth time that Jackson had led the Bulls to the NBA championship, and it cemented his reputation as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. The 1996 Finals were also notable for the fact that they were the first ever to be played between two teams that had each won at least 70 games in the regular season.

George Karl

George Karl was born in 1952 in Pennsylvania. He played collegiate basketball at the University of North Carolina and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1974 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played four seasons in the NBA before beginning his coaching career.

Karl coached the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association from 1980 to 1983, and then took over as head coach of the Golden State Warriors midway through the 1984-85 season. He coached the Warriors for two-plus seasons before being fired in 1987.

Karl returned to coaching in 1988, leading the Real Madrid Baloncesto of Spain’s top professional basketball league for one season. He returned to the United States in 1989 to become head coach of the CBA’s Montana Golden Nuggets, leading them to a league-best 54-26 record.

In 1992, Karl became head coach of the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics. He coached the Sonics for five-plus seasons, leading them to four playoff appearances and one trip to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in 1996. Karl was named NBA Coach of the Year after leading Seattle to a franchise-record 63 wins during the regular season in 1995-96.

Karl was fired by Seattle after a slow start to the 1997-98 season, and he subsequently took over as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He coached Milwaukee for parts of six seasons before being fired again in 2003.

Karl then worked as an analyst for ESPN until 2008, when he became head coach of the Denver Nuggets. He coached Denver for eight-plus seasons, leading them to six playoff appearances and one trip to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers in 2009.

Karl was fired by Denver after a first-round playoff loss to Kyrie Irving’s Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013. He later worked as an analyst for Turner Sports before being hired as head coach of The Sacramento Kings midway through the 2015-16 season.

The series

The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1995–96 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls, with the Bulls winning the series 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the second consecutive year. This was the first NBA Finals played under the new 2-3-2 format, which was adopted to cut down on travel after the teams split the first two games in Chicago.

Game 1

The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1995–96 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls played against the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics, with the Bulls winning the series 4 games to 2. It was the Bulls’ fourth title in six years, as well as their first since retiring Michael Jordan’s jersey number, 23. It was also Chicago’s first NBA title since 1973, when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

The 1996 NBA Finals were led by coach Phil Jackson and star players Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, who occupied much of the media’s attention with their off-court antics. Michael Jordan returned from retirement to join the Bulls midway through the regular season. Although he did not play in every game during the Playoffs, he proved himself to still be one of basketball’s biggest stars by averaging 27.3 points per game on 48% shooting during the Finals. Jordan’s return propelled Chicago to a 62-win season and made them heavy favorites to win not only this series, but future championships as well; they were indeed successful in winning two more titles over the next three years

The 1996 NBA Finals is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever played. It featured arguably one of basketball’s greatest ever teams in Jordan’s 72-win Chicago Bulls and superstar individual performances throughout

Game 2

The Chicago Bulls won Game 2 of the 1996 NBA Finals 96-91 against the Seattle SuperSonics. Michael Jordan was the leading scorer for the Bulls with 30 points, while Shawn Kemp led the way for the SuperSonics with 25 points.

Game 3

Jordan had another outstanding game, scoring 33 points on 16-of-27 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range, to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Pippen also had 16 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, while Dennis Rodman pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds.

Game 4

The Chicago Bulls close out the series in Game 4, winning 90–82. Michael Jordan is named series MVP, averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Scottie Pippen also averages a double double for the series with 19 points and 10 rebounds per game.

The aftermath

The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1995–96 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls, with the Bulls holding home-court advantage. The series was played under a best-of-seven format, with the first 2 games in Chicago, the next 3 games in Seattle, and the last 2 games in Chicago.

The bulls won the series four games to two to win their fourth NBA championship, making them only the second team in NBA history to win four championships in six years (joining the 1970s Boston Celtics). Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for a record fourth time. This was also the first ever NBA Finals appearance for the SuperSonics in their 29-year existence as a franchise.