Michael Jordan is the Bulls’ all-time leading rebounder with 5,836 rebounds.
The Chicago Bulls took home six NBA titles via two separate three-peats in the 1990s, largely due to the legendary Michael Jordan. Jordan leads the franchise all-time in just about every statistic, and rebounding is no different.
1. Michael Jordan – 5,836 rebounds
Where do you begin with Michael Jordan? The five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, 11-time All-NBA selection and nine-time All-Defense selection did it all in his 15-year career. Jordan averaged 31.5 points and 5.3 assists per game across his 13 seasons with the Bulls, and he also worked hard on the glass. He averaged 6.3 rebounds per game across his Chicago career, and even tallied a career-high 8.0 per game in 1988-89, helping land him atop the list.
2. Tom Boerwinkle – 5,745 rebounds
The 7-footer Tom Boerwinkle was a beast on the boards in Chicago, particularly in his early years in the NBA, when he averaged at least 11.1 rebounds per game in each of his first four seasons. That stretch included a stellar 1970-71 season, where he posted a career-high 13.8 rebounds in addition to 10.8 points and 4.8 assists per game. His numbers took a dip in the latter half of his career following the 1972-73 season in which he appeared in just eight games due to injury. Still, in 1975-76, the big minutes returned and so did the boards, as he averaged 10.7 per game.
3. Scottie Pippen – 5,726 rebounds
Right there with Michael Jordan in Chicago’s golden era was Scottie Pippen. The Hall-Of-Famer was elite in numerous facets of the game, proven by his seven All-Star nods, seven All-NBA selections and 10 All-Defense selections. Pippen averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and two steals across his 856 career games with the Bulls. Aside from his rookie year and final season in the NBA, Pippen never averaged fewer than 5.2 rebounds with Chicago and peaked at 8.7 per game in 1993-94.
4. Joakim Noah – 5,387 rebounds
He was never the flashiest, but Joakim Noah certainly got things done with the Bulls. At the pinnacle of Noah’s career, the two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection was perhaps the best defender in the NBA, backed up by his 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year award. The big man averaged 10-plus rebounds per game on four separate occasions in his Chicago career and more than 8.8 per game three more times. In 572 games with the Bulls, he averaged 9.4 boards per game, cementing himself on this list.
5. Jerry Sloan – 5,385 rebounds
The third Hall-Of-Famer on the list, Jerry Sloan held his own on the glass for the Bulls for a decade, despite being a 6-foot-5 shooting guard. The two-time All-Star and six-time All-Defense selection averaged 15-plus points per game five different times in his career and was a double-digit scorer in every season with Chicago. But as seen by the All-Defensive recognition he consistently garnered, his hustle was especially a large part of his game, and that included rebounding. He averaged a career-high 9.1 boards per game in his first season with the Bulls and never dipped below 6.9 per game until his final NBA season.
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