The Chicago Bulls will enshrine a new era of legendary figures in franchise history with the second class of the Ring of Honor.
This year’s lineup includes coaches, players and broadcasters. The 2025 class will be inducted into the Ring of Honor during halftime of Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards.
Get to know the six inductees to the Ring of Honor:
Johnny Bach
Chicago Bulls GM John Paxson chats with assistant coach Johnny Bach on July 15, 2003. (Jim Prisching/Chicago Tribune)
A dynasty requires many architects to take form. For the Bulls, Johnny Bach was a crucial cornerstone of that development.
Bach coached at Fordham, Penn State and Golden State before joining the Bulls as an assistant coach in 1986. In that role, Bach developed what became known as the “Doberman” defense, an aggressive style of play that leaned heavily on the disruptive skills of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant.
Bach was known for his compassionate and fastidious approach to coaching. He ultimately won three championships with the Bulls before his departure from Chicago in 1994. Bach went on to coach in Detroit and Washington — reunited with Michael Jordan — before returning to Chicago in 2003 until his retirement in 2006.
Bach lived a colorful life outside of coaching — serving as a naval deck officer in World War II, playing for both the New York Yankees and the Boston Celtics. He took up painting in his retirement years, displaying his works in watercolor at a local gallery in Skokie. Bach died in 2016 at the age of 91.
Bill Cartwright
Bill Cartwright, a former Chicago Bulls player or assistant coach for five of the six Bulls NBA championship teams of the 1990s, was named coach of the team on Friday, Dec. 28, 2001, at the team’s practice center in Deerfield. (AP Photo/Stephen J. Carrera)
As a player and then a coach, Bill Cartwright carved out a 15-year career with the Bulls that spanned five championship seasons.
The Bulls acquired Cartwright in 1988 as the centerpiece of a blockbuster trade to send Charles Oakley to the New York Knicks. At that point in his career, Cartwright was a seasoned center who had already been named an All-Star once with the Knicks. His presence — both as a veteran leader and as a dominant big man down low — was crucial for the Bulls to elevate past the Detroit Pistons and secure their first trio of championship titles from 1991-93.
Cartwright remained with the Bulls through 1994, then played the final season of his career with the Seattle Supersonics. He returned to Chicago a year after he retired from playing to join Phil Jackson’s coaching staff, winning two more championships with the team in the ensuing seasons. Cartwright remained with the Bulls as an assistant after Jackson’s departure in 1998, then earned a promotion to head coach in 2001.
Although his tenure as head coach was short-lived — ending 14 games into the 2003-04 season — Cartwright’s extensive time as an assistant coach reflected his commitment to the Bulls.
Neil Funk
Former play-by-play announcer Neil Funk poses for pictures during the Chicago Bulls inaugural Ring of Honor gala red carpet event at the United Center on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
For 29 years, the voice of Neil Funk was the soundtrack of Bulls basketball.
After serving as a broadcaster for the Philadelphia 76ers and Kansas City Kings, Funk was already an Emmy award-winner by the time he arrived in Chicago in 1991 — serendipitously joining the Bulls as a radio announcer as the team was about to embark on a six-year stretch of dynastic winning. After 17 years on the radio, Funk took over as a TV play-by-play announcer in 2008.
Funk’s signature exclamations — “Ka-boom!” — became a constant as the Bulls won their final five titles over the next six years. As a broadcaster, he won over Chicago with his unique ability to paint a scene out of play-by-play calling, harkening to the signature style of radio broadcasters.
After 29 years, Funk announced his intention to retire after the 2019-20 season. After his final broadcasts were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Funk called one final game in January 2025 alongside former partner Stacey King to celebrate the retirement of Derrick Rose.
Horace Grant
Former Bull Horace Grant waves to the crowd as he is announced during a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 1991. on March 12, 2011. (Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune)
Bulls’ Horace Grant grabs a rebound in front of Atlanta Hawks’ Kevin Willis in first quarter of game in Chicago Stadium April 18, 1994. (Sue Ogrocki/Reuters)
Chicago Bulls’ Horace Grant in action on May 20, 1994. (Jonathan Daniel/ALLSPORT)
Orlando’s Horace Grant is sandwiched between the Bulls’ Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan as they fight for possession of the ball during the first quarter on April 11, 1998. (Wes Pope/Chicago Tribune)
Horace Grant takes a picture of Bulls photographer Bill Smith as he poses for pictures during the Bulls inaugural Ring of Honor gala red carpet event at the United Center on Jan. 11, 2024, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Former Bulls players Horace Grant (left) and Scottie Pippen during the second half of a game against the Clippers at the United Center on March 4, 2017. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Bulls’ Horace Grant in action during a game on April 25, 1991. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Bulls Special Advisor to the President and former player Horace Grant (lower right) is announced as the Bulls representative during the 2019 NBA draft lottery at the Hilton Chicago on May 14, 2019. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Former Bulls player Horace Grant gets a fist bump after a 44-43 win in the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game at Wintrust Arena on Feb. 14, 2020. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
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Former Bull Horace Grant waves to the crowd as he is announced during a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first NBA championship in 1991. on March 12, 2011. (Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune)
An anchor on the defensive end, Horace Grant was one of the final pieces integral to the Bulls establishing themselves as true championship contenders.
The Bulls drafted Grant in 1987 and immediately profited from the decision — the power forward elevated into elite status, earning a starting role in his second season as he stepped in following Oakley’s departure via trade.
Donning oversized goggles, Grant was equally intimidating and welcoming as a Bull, known for his fierce competitiveness on the court and his bubbly nature off it. He earned four consecutive All-Defensive designations from 1993 to 1996, a reflection of his savvy as the third pillar of the Bulls defense alongside Jordan and Pippen. Grant averaged 12.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in seven seasons with the Bulls.
After parting with the Bulls in free agency, Grant played another decade in the league with the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic. But Chicago always remained home for Grant, who became a consultant for Bulls chairman Michael Reinsdorf in his retirement.
John Paxson
John Paxson introduces Doug Collins as a Chicago Bulls senior advisor on Sept. 19, 2017 at the Advocate Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The Bulls’ John Paxson goes up for a shot against the Nuggets’ Orlando Woolridge on March 18, 1991. (Jim Prisching/ChicagoTribune)
Former Bulls guards John Paxson (left) and B.J. Armstrong listen in on Michael Jordan’s retirement press conference on Jan. 13, 1999. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune)
New Bulls GM John Paxson Paxson, his wife Carolyn, and sons, Ryan 16, and Drew 13, at newser at the Berto Center in Deerfield, announcing his new position on April 14, 2003. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)
New GM John Paxson watches a game against the 76ers on April 15, 2003. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
Bulls GM John Paxson and coach Bill Cartwright talk about the team’s draft selections at the Berto Center in Deerfield on June 26, 2003. (Charles Cherney/Chicago Tribune)
Derrick Rose greets Bulls VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson outside the team’s locker room before a United States-Brazil game at the United Center on Aug. 16, 2014. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
John Paxson, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations walks pasts the team photographs in the corridor of the Berto Center as he approaches the media to talk about the Bulls getting No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft on May 22, 2008. (David Trotman-Wilkins/Chicago Tribune)
Assistant Coach Johnny Bach, left, and Bulls General Manager John Paxson converse after the first day of camp at the Berto Center on Sept. 30, 2003. (Jim Prisching/Chicago Tribune)
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John Paxson introduces Doug Collins as a Chicago Bulls senior advisor on Sept. 19, 2017 at the Advocate Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Few people can match the longevity of John Paxson in Chicago. Paxson never left after joining the team as a free agent in 1985, holding a series of roles over the following four decades — player, assistant coach, broadcaster, executive and advisor.
Paxson served as a glue player in the early years of the Jordan era, embracing coach Phil Jackson’s vision of the point guard position to help helm the team to its first three NBA trophies. After retiring from his playing career in 1994, Paxson spent one year as an assistant coach under Jackson before turning to radio, where he called games alongside Funk for the next seven years.
In 2003, Paxson was selected as the successor to general manager Jerry Krause, who had crafted six championship rosters for the Bulls. Paxson held that position until 2009, when he was promoted to vice president of basketball operations. His executive years were highlighted by the drafting of Derrick Rose in 2008, which led the Bulls as far as the Eastern Conference finals in 2011. Paxson transitioned to a senior advisor position in 2020, a position he still holds.
Norm Van Lier
Norm Van Lier of the Chicago Bulls tries to get past Bob Lanier of Detroit Pistons on Jan. 28, 1973. (Ed Feeney/Chicago Tribune)On the court and on the air, Norm Van Lier became a staple in Chicago over seven seasons as a player and nearly two decades as a broadcaster. Originally drafted and traded by the Bulls in 1969, Van Lier returned to Chicago in 1971 to pair up with Jerry Sloan under famed coach Dick Motta.
A defensive engine who earned the nickname “Stormin’ Norman,” Van Lier earned three All-Star and seven All-Defense selections in his tenure with the Bulls, in addition to leading the NBA in assists in 1971.
After playing his final season in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, Van Lier became a radio color commentator covering the Bulls in 1980. In 1992, Van Lier took over as a TV analyst covering Bulls games for SportsChannel, then maintained his role for Fox Sports Chicago and Comcast. He received an Emmy for his commentary during the 72-win season in 1996.
Van Lier died in 2009 on the same day as former Bulls head coach Johnny Kerr, marking a tremendous pair of losses for the franchise.