Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen sit atop the top 5 for Chicago’s single-season steals per game leaders.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are among the best players in NBA history. In addition to their stellar scoring contributions, both players made a major impact on the defensive end of the floor. Let’s look at the record books for the Chicago Bulls and highlight their top five leaders in steals per game for a single season.
Michael Jordan – 1988, 3.2 SPG
The Bulls selected Jordan with the third pick in the 1984 Draft. He played all 82 games and averaged 38 minutes during his rookie season. He dominated on both ends of the floor, averaging 28.2 points and 2.4 steals to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. That helped him win the Rookie of the Year award. With his average of 3.2 steals per game in 1987-88, it marked the first time in his career that he led the league in steals. Jordan also led the NBA by averaging 35.0 points per game. The result was him winning both the MVP award and the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Scottie Pippen – 1995, 2.9 SPG
Pippen spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Bulls. He made his first All-Star team in 1989-90 when he averaged 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game. He led the league in steals per game for the only time in his career when he averaged 2.9 of them in 1994-95. That season, he made the All-Star team, finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and seventh in MVP voting.
Scottie Pippen -1994, 2.9 SPG
While he didn’t lead the league, Pippen once again racked up steals by averaging 2.9 of them per game in 1993-94. That helped him be named All-Defensive First Team and finish fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Following his first stint with the Bulls, Pippen played for the Rockets and Trail Blazers before ending his career with one more season with the Bulls. Over 856 regular season games with the franchise, he averaged 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals. He was part of six championship squads and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010.
Michael Jordan – 1989, 2.9 SPG
In addition to his 2.9 steals per game in 1988-89, Jordan led the NBA by averaging 32.5 points. He also averaged 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists that season, both of which would end up being the highest marks of his career. He made the All-Star team, was named All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team that season.
Michael Jordan – 1987, 2.9 SPG
The 1986-87 season marked the first time that Jordan led the league in scoring, averaging 37.1 points per game. He did so while also averaging 2.9 steals. Combine all of that with his averages of 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 blocks and Jordan finished eighth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and second in MVP voting. During his entire tenure with the Bulls, Jordan led the league in steals per game three times. He won five MVP awards, one Defensive Player of the Year award and six championships. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.
