Michael Jordan is one of the headliners for single season assists per game leaders for the Chicago Bulls.
The Chicago Bulls have secured two historic three-peats, which included some of the best players in NBA history. Let’s look back through the record books and highlight the top five leaders in assists per game for a single season for the Bulls.
Guy Rodgers, 1967, 11.2 apg
Rodgers played just one full season for the Bulls, which came in 1966-67. He made his mark, leading the league by averaging 11.2 assists per game. He also averaged 18.0 points and 4.3 rebounds, making the fourth All-Star team of his career. The following season, he played just four games for the Bulls before being traded to the Cincinnati Royals. Across 85 regular season games with the Bulls, he averaged 17.6 points and 11.0 assists.
Ennis Whatley, 1984, 8.3 apg
Whatley spent the first two seasons of his career with the Bulls. He appeared in 80 games in 1983-84, which was his rookie campaign. In addition to his 8.3 assists per game, Whatley also averaged 8.4 points and 1.5 steals. Over 150 regular season games with the Bulls, Whatley averaged 6.8 points and 7.0 assists. Whatley would play for six different franchises following his time with the Bulls.
Michael Jordan, 1989, 8.0 apg
Jordan is known more for his scoring prowess. During his career, he led the NBA in points per game 10 times. During his entire tenure with the Bulls, he averaged 31.5 points per game during the regular season. However, he also averaged 5.4 assists per game with the Bulls. His best single season mark in that category came in 1988-89 when he averaged 8.0 assists per game. Jordan won five regular season MVP awards, six Finals MVPs and six championships as a member of the Bulls. He was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Norm Van Lier, 1977, 7.8 apg
Van Lier led the league by averaging 10.1 assists per game with the Royals in 1970-71. He was traded to the Bulls during the 1971-72 campaign and he averaged 7.1 assists over 69 games with his new team. Van Lier made his first All-Star team in 1973-74, then made it back-to-back seasons beginning in 1975-76. In the 1976-77 season, Van Lier averaged 10.2 points, 7.8 assists and 1.6 steals. Over 535 games with the Bulls, Van Lier averaged 6.9 assists.
Derrick Rose, 2011, 7.7 apg
The Bulls selected Rose with the first pick in the 2008 Draft. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008-09, averaging 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists. The best season of his career came in 2010-11 when he averaged 25.0 points and 7.7 assists on his way to be named regular season MVP. Rose produced gaudy stats when he first entered the NBA, but knee injuries eventually derailed his career. He appeared in 406 regular season games for the Bulls, averaging 19.7 points and 6.2 assists. Following his time with the Bulls, Rose played for the Knicks, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Pistons and Grizzlies.
