The 2025–26 Chicago Bulls season was the 60th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The Bulls began the regular season 5–0, their best start since the 1996–97 season. However, they soon struggled, enduring a seven-game losing streak through November and December 2025. It was followed by an 11-game losing streak in February 2026, setting a franchise record for most losses in a winless month, surpassing the previous 0–10 mark set in November 1976. Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach Collins, Noa Essengue (who would miss the rest of his rookie season early on), and Jalen Smith missed significant time due to injuries which plagued Chicago's record.
On January 24, 2026, the Bulls officially retired Derrick Rose's jersey number 1 immediately after their game against the Boston Celtics. In the February trade deadline period, the Bulls completed a league-high seven trades by dismantling its veteran core, trading away Coby White, Nikola Vučević, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips, and Emanuel Miller. In exchange, Chicago acquired Jaden Ivey, Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, Nick Richards, Guerschon Yabusele, and eight future second-round picks (reduced by one following a trade with the Charlotte Hornets due to White’s calf injury). Ivey, having been sidelined for the rest of the season due to a knee injury, was later waived on March 30 due to "conduct detrimental to the team" following his criticism about the NBA's involvement in Pride Month activities.
Following a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 27, the Bulls were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive season, marking their first season missing the play-in tournament since 2021 and failing to improve upon their 39–43 record from each of their two previous seasons. The team would finish the regular season with a 31–51 record, placing 12th in the East.
On April 6, the Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley.
This was unexpectedly the final season to feature Stacey King as color analyst for locally televised games, as he passed away on June 7 at the age of 59.
Draft
+ Round Pick Player Position Nationality College / Club 1 12 Noa Essengue Power Forward France Ratiopharm Ulm () 2 45 Rocco Zikarsky Center Australia Brisbane Bullets () The Bulls entered the draft with one first-round selection and one second-round selection. While their original 2025 second-round pick ended up with the Sacramento Kings via San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls acquired a different 2025 second-round pick from Sacramento as an exchange for DeMar DeRozan in a 2024 trade. Chicago notably lost a coin toss against the Dallas Mavericks for higher draft lottery odds, which subsequently later led to Dallas claiming the #1 pick of the draft.
The Bulls later traded the #45 pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for cash and the #55 pick, Lachlan Olbrich.
Roster
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Standings
Division
Conference
NBA Cup
East Group C
Game log Preseason
| 1 | October 7 | @ Cleveland | | Matas Buzelis (19) | Buzelis, Smith (8) | Giddey, Kawamura (5) | Rocket Arena15,348 | 1–0
| 2 | October 9 | Cleveland | | Ayo Dosunmu (16) | Zach Collins (8) | Tre Jones (7) | United Center16,258 | 2–0
| 3 | October 12 | Milwaukee | | Ayo Dosunmu (22) | Nikola Vučević (9) | Josh Giddey (7) | United Center20,976 | 2–1
| 4 | October 14 | @ Denver | | Josh Giddey (25) | Nikola Vučević (10) | Giddey, Terry (6) | Ball Arena16,567 | 2–2
| 5 | October 16 | Minnesota | | Matas Buzelis (19) | Nikola Vučević (10) | Josh Giddey (9) | United Center17,573 | 3–2
Regular season
| 1 | October 22 | Detroit | | Nikola Vučević (28) | Nikola Vučević (14) | Josh Giddey (11) | United Center21,381 | 1–0
| 2 | October 25 | @ Orlando | | Josh Giddey (21) | Giddey, Vučević (8) | Tre Jones (8) | Kia Center19,117 | 2–0
| 3 | October 27 | Atlanta | | Ayo Dosunmu (21) | Nikola Vučević (17) | Jones, Vučević (9) | United Center18,094 | 3–0 |- | 4 | October 29 | Sacramento | | Matas Buzelis (27) | Nikola Vučević (14) | Josh Giddey (12) | United Center19,017 | 4–0 |- | 5 | October 31 | New York | | Josh Giddey (32) | Josh Giddey (10) | Dosunmu, Giddey (9) | United Center18,330 | 5–0
| 6 | November 2 | @ New York | | Josh Giddey (23) | Nikola Vučević (14) | Josh Giddey (12) | Madison Square Garden19,812 | 5–1 |- | 7 | November 4 | Philadelphia | | Josh Giddey (29) | Josh Giddey (15) | Josh Giddey (12) | United Center21,016 | 6–1 |- | 8 | November 7 | @ Milwaukee | | Matas Buzelis (20) | Matas Buzelis (8) | Josh Giddey (14) | Fiserv Forum17,839 | 6–2 |- | 9 | November 8 | @ Cleveland | | Isaac Okoro (19) | Jalen Smith (11) | Josh Giddey (6) | Rocket Arena19,432 | 6–3
| 10 | November 10 | San Antonio | | Kevin Huerter (23) | Jalen Smith (12) | Tre Jones (7) | United Center21,672 | 6–4
| 11 | November 12 | @ Detroit | | Matas Buzelis (21) | Matas Buzelis (14) | Tre Jones (5) | Little Caesars Arena19,023 | 6–5
| 12 | November 16 | @ Utah | | Coby White (27) | Nikola Vučević (13) | Josh Giddey (13) | Delta Center18,186 | 6–6
| 13 | November 17 | @ Denver | | Dosunmu, Giddey (21) | Josh Giddey (14) | Giddey, Vučević (6) | Ball Arena19,951 | 7–6
| 14 | November 19 | @ Portland | | Nikola Vučević (27) | Nikola Vučević (8) | Josh Giddey (13) | Moda Center17,795 | 8–6
| 15 | November 21 | Miami | | Ayo Dosunmu (23) | Josh Giddey (11) | Josh Giddey (9) | United Center21,313 | 8–7
| 16 | November 22 | Washington | | Nikola Vučević (28) | Giddey, Vučević (12) | Josh Giddey (11) | United Center21,302 | 9–7
| 17 | November 24 | @ New Orleans | | Ayo Dosunmu (28) | Josh Giddey (7) | Tre Jones (11) | Smoothie King Center16,690 | 9–8
| 18 | November 28 | @ Charlotte | | Giddey, White (25) | Nikola Vučević (14) | Josh Giddey (9) | Spectrum Center19,453 | 9–9
| 19 | November 29 | @ Indiana | | Giddey, Jones (17) | Buzelis, Giddey (11) | Josh Giddey (7) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse17,006 | 9–10
| 20 | December 1 | @ Orlando | | Josh Giddey (22) | Nikola Vučević (11) | Ayo Dosunmu (7) | Kia Center18,096 | 9–11
| 21 | December 3 | Brooklyn | | Josh Giddey (28) | Giddey, Vučević (11) | Josh Giddey (11) | United Center20,633 | 9–12
| 22 | December 5 | Indiana | | Coby White (22) | Matas Buzelis (12) | Giddey, White (6) | United Center20,471 | 9–13
| 23 | December 7 | Golden State | | Josh Giddey (18) | Vučević, Williams (6) | Dosunmu, Giddey (5) | United Center18,449 | 9–14
| 24 | December 12 | @ Charlotte | | Josh Giddey (26) | Jalen Smith (10) | Josh Giddey (11) | Spectrum Center16,205 | 10–14
| 25 | December 14 | New Orleans | | Coby White (20) | Nikola Vučević (8) | Giddey, Jones, White (5) | United Center18,372 | 10–15
| 26 | December 17 | Cleveland | | Coby White (25) | Josh Giddey (11) | Giddey, Jones (11) | United Center18,872 | 11–15 |- | 27 | December 19 | @ Cleveland | | Buzelis, Vučević (24) | Nikola Vučević (15) | Coby White (9) | Rocket Arena19,432 | 12–15 |- | 28 | December 21 | @ Atlanta | | Matas Buzelis (28) | Josh Giddey (9) | Josh Giddey (12) | State Farm Arena15,110 | 13–15 |- | 29 | December 23 | @ Atlanta | | Coby White (24) | Josh Giddey (11) | Josh Giddey (15) | State Farm Arena15,367 | 14–15 |- | 30 | December 26 | Philadelphia | | Collins, Jones (15) | Buzelis, Smith (8) | Josh Giddey (11) | United Center20,952 | 15–15 |- | 31 | December 27 | Milwaukee | | Vučević, White (16) | Collins, Smith (10) | Josh Giddey (9) | United Center20,934 | 15–16 |- | 32 | December 29 | Minnesota | | Nikola Vučević (23) | (6) | Ayo Dosunmu (7) | United Center21,429 | 15–17 |- | 33 | December 31 | New Orleans | | Isaac Okoro (24) | Jalen Smith (14) | Tre Jones (12) | United Center20,527 | 16–17
| 34 | January 2 | Orlando | | Matas Buzelis (21) | Smith, Vučević (10) | Buzelis, Dosunmu (7) | United Center21,245 | 17–17 |- | 35 | January 3 | Charlotte | | Nikola Vučević (28) | Kevin Huerter (11) | Jones, Vučević (8) | United Center21,315 | 17–18 |- | 36 | January 5 | @ Boston | | Matas Buzelis (26) | Nikola Vučević (15) | Nikola Vučević (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 17–19 |- | 37 | January 7 | @ Detroit | | Ayo Dosunmu (24) | Nikola Vučević (16) | Tre Jones (12) | Little Caesars Arena19,501 | 17–20 |- style="background:#ccc | — | January 8 | Miami | colspan="6" | Postponed due to condensation on the court, rescheduled to January 29. |- | 38 | January 10 | Dallas | | Coby White (22) | Nikola Vučević (12) | Ayo Dosunmu (8) | United Center19,753 | 18–20 |- | 39 | January 13 | @ Houston | | Tre Jones (34) | Jalen Smith (9) | Tre Jones (7) | Toyota Center18,055 | 18–21 |- | 40 | January 14 | Utah | | Nikola Vučević (35) | Jalen Smith (10) | Tre Jones (8) | United Center18,859 | 19–21
| 41 | January 16 | @ Brooklyn | | Nikola Vučević (19) | Jalen Smith (13) | (5) | Barclays Center17,548 | 19–22
| 42 | January 18 | Brooklyn | | Coby White (24) | Nikola Vučević (11) | Tre Jones (10) | United Center19,753 | 20–22 |- | 43 | January 20 | L.A. Clippers | | Coby White (27) | Jalen Smith (9) | Tre Jones (10) | United Center18,536 | 21–22
| 44 | January 22 | @ Minnesota | | Coby White (22) | Nikola Vučević (8) | Tre Jones (7) | Target Center17,463 | 22–22
| 45 | January 24 | Boston | | Coby White (22) | Jalen Smith (9) | Josh Giddey (10) | United Center22,093 | 23–22 |- | 46 | January 26 | L.A. Lakers | | Coby White (23) | Nikola Vučević (11) | Josh Giddey (7) | United Center21,298 | 23–23 |- | 47 | January 28 | @ Indiana | | Nikola Vučević (25) | Jalen Smith (11) | Josh Giddey (7) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse16,777 | 23–24 |- | 48 | January 29 | Miami | | Ayo Dosunmu (23) | Huerter, Vučević (10) | Coby White (8) | United Center20,685 | 23–25 |- | 49 | January 31 | @ Miami | | Ayo Dosunmu (29) | Buzelis, Dosunmu (8) | Ayo Dosunmu (9) | Kaseya Center19,700 | 24–25
| 50 | February 1 | @ Miami | | Coby White (16) | Patrick Williams (10) | Yuki Kawamura (6) | Kaseya Center19,700 | 24–26 |- | 51 | February 3 | @ Milwaukee | | Matas Buzelis (22) | Coby White (10) | Ayo Dosunmu (8) | Fiserv Forum17,341 | 24–27 |- | 52 | February 5 | @ Toronto | | Anfernee Simons (22) | Guerschon Yabusele (11) | Yuki Kawamura (7) | Scotiabank Arena18,795 | 24–28 |- | 53 | February 7 | Denver | | Matas Buzelis (21) | Matas Buzelis (8) | Anfernee Simons (6) | United Center20,939 | 24–29
| 54 | February 9 | @ Brooklyn | | Anfernee Simons (23) | Rob Dillingham (7) | Anfernee Simons (7) | Barclays Center17,038 | 24–30
| 55 | February 11 | @ Boston | | Rob Dillingham (16) | Matas Buzelis (8) | Rob Dillingham (7) | TD Garden19,156 | 24–31 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Game |- | 56 | February 19 | Toronto | | Anfernee Simons (20) | Jalen Smith (10) | Tre Jones (6) | United Center20,397 | 24–32 |- | 57 | February 21 | Detroit | | Josh Giddey (27) | Guershon Yabusele (9) | Guershon Yabusele (8) | United Center21,589 | 24–33 |- | 58 | February 22 | New York | | Matas Buzelis (15) | Richards, Yabusele (13) | Patrick Williams (8) | United Center19,628 | 24–34 |- | 59 | February 24 | Charlotte | | Matas Buzelis (32) | Matas Buzelis (7) | Dillingham, Giddey (5) | United Center19,145 | 24–35 |- | 60 | February 26 | Portland | | Matas Buzelis (20) | Nick Richards (10) | Josh Giddey (9) | United Center18,516 | 24–36
| 61 | March 1 | Milwaukee | | Collin Sexton (22) | Josh Giddey (14) | Josh Giddey (10) | United Center20,749 | 25–36 |- | 62 | March 3 | Oklahoma City | | Collin Sexton (20) | Nick Richards (13) | Josh Giddey (9) | United Center18,561 | 25–37 |- | 63 | March 5 | @ Phoenix | | Collin Sexton (30) | Nick Richards (11) | Jones, Sexton (5) | Mortgage Matchup Center17,071 | 26–37 |- | 64 | March 8 | @ Sacramento | | Collin Sexton (28) | Josh Giddey (12) | Josh Giddey (10) | Golden 1 Center15,022 | 26–38 |- | 65 | March 10 | @ Golden State | | Matas Buzelis (41)