1998 Chicago Bulls Players’ Salaries: Michael Jordan Earns More Money Than Entire Team
The Chicago Bulls were a dynasty in the 90s. With two three-peats on record, they remain one of the best dynasties in NBA history. The team that capped off the second three-peat, which was the sixth championship during this era, was the 1997-98 team. That team is well-regarded as the “last dance” because of the upcoming decisions that were going to be made in the 1998 offseason, which ultimately led to the team being blown up.
The talent on the roster featured a big three of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. In today’s league, the big three on the team feature the three highest-paid players in most cases. That was not the case for this team. Other players found themselves in the upper tier of the salary conversation. Maybe that was the reason why this team broke up in 1998.
While that is a conversation for another day, the salary situation in today’s league is quite different than back then. Let’s take a look at the salaries from 25 years ago and how those would compare to today’s numbers.
Joe Kleine – $272,250
2022-23 Equivalent: $503,248
1997-98 Season Stats: 2.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Kleine played in 46 regular season games and averaged 8.6 minutes per game. Most of his success came during the mid-80s and early 90s when he played for the Kings, Celtics, and Suns. By this time, he was in the later stages of his career and was winding down his career before retiring in 2000. Kleine was not included on the playoff roster. Kleine is an interesting player when you think about how he has played with Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.
Jud Buechler – $500,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $924,238
1997-98 Season Stats: 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 0.7 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
By this time, Buechler was in his fourth season with the Bulls. He was used sparingly during the first two years of his career, playing about 10 minutes per game. This season he saw the court 8.2 minutes per night. Buechler was a clutch scorer off of the bench when he played through. He shot over 48% from the field and can say that he is a three-time champion.
Keith Booth – $597,600
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,104,650
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 1.7 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Booth was the No. 28 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Bulls. Can we talk about how he was paid more money than an NBA veteran that was a two-time champion? Booth played just six games during the 1997-98 season. He played one more season before leaving the league for good. He would eventually return to Maryland to get his degree and pursue a career in coaching. However, his contributions to this team, which included not being a part of the postseason roster, were very minimal.
Steve Kerr – $750,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,382,358
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 7.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 4.9 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Kerr is best remembered for his game-winning three-point shot in Game 6 of the NBA Finals that helped sink the Jazz to win the championship. He also won the Three-Point Contest that season. Kerr was one of the most efficient three-point shooters in the entire league that year. You would think he would get some kind of bonus but that never happened. Instead, he was the fourth-lowest paid player on this team. In the 1998 Finals, Kerr grabbed his miss and hit Jordan for a game-winning shot in Game 2 to get the win. With all these heroics, it’s no surprise to see how humble Kerr is today given his success and the money he got during his career.
Jason Caffey – $850,920
2022-23 Equivalent: $1,572,906
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 5.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Caffey was the No. 20 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. His rise to fame was when he averaged 7,3 points per game during the Bulls’ second championship run in 1996-97. He started five playoff games during that time. Caffey did not play on this postseason team because he was traded to the Golden State Warriors on February 19 in exchange for David Vaughn and two second-round draft picks. There were a lot of players, most notably Jordan and Rodman, that were public about their disdain for the trade.
Robert Parish – $1,150,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $2,125,749
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
Parish was paid more than several players on this team despite not playing a single minute. The way that Parish’s contract was structured, he was paid his $1.1 million salary despite leaving the league. Parish enjoyed a long and successful career, which included two championships with the Celtics and two championships with the Bulls in 1996 and 1997. At the time, Parish retired at the age of 43 years old. He remains the record holder for NBA games played at 1,611. At the time, he would have been a back-end bench player that guided other players anyways.
Randy Brown – $1,260,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $2,329,082
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 4.1 PPG, 1.3 RPG< 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 0.6 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
A three-time champion with the Bulls, Brown joined the Bulls in the 1995 offseason after four years with the Kings. He enjoyed his most success during the three titles during this season. He averaged 16.2 minutes per game and played in 71 games. That included making six starts. He also played in 14 playoff games but averaged 5.1 minutes. Brown became a full-time starter of the Bulls when Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman left the team in the offseason.
Scott Burrell – $1,430,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $2,643,323
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 5.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Burrell did not play long for the Bulls but he was a critical part of the bench. On September 22, the Warriors traded Burrell to the Bulls for Dickey Simpkins. Burrell was seen as someone that could play both forward positions. In the Last Dance documentary, it was seen that Burrell was often the target of Jordan’s competitive trash-talking. Burrell was often tasked with guarding Jordan, which is why. Some might have seen this as not enough money just for that reason alone.
Bill Wennington – $1,800,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $3,327,260
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 3.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 2.8 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Wennington was a bench piece for the three-peat Bulls. He signed with the Bulls in 1993 and was a key face in the locker room and liked by many of his teammates. He was the backup center to Luc Longley. Wennington played 9.7 minutes per game this season, shooting 43.6% from the field to go with his 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. However, the 48 games played was the lowest number of appearances in 10 seasons.
Scottie Pippen – $2,775,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $5,129,526
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: $19.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 16.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 5.2 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Pippen is regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was an All-Star two-way player and a six-time champion with the Bulls. With that said, there were five players paid higher than him during this season. In today’s NBA, that would not fly, especially being a five-time champion leading up to this season. That animosity led to Pippen’s trade rumors that halted Pippen’s return to the team. Pippen ultimately rejoined the team to help the team win a championship. That included averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in 44 games.
Luc Longley – $3,184,900
2022-23 Equivalent: $5,887,217
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 11.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 7.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG
While Longley was the team’s starting center, he is often overshadowed with some of the other big names on this roster. He was out there, often setting screens for the prolific scorer Jordan. Longley had his best season during the 1997-98 year. He averaged a career-high in points and was just off of his career-high in rebounds. Longley knew his role when it came to this team. That is why he was able to say he is a three-time champion.
Dennis Rodman – $4,500,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $8,318,150
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 4.7 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 4.9 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Rodman was in the mix for some of the highest-paid players on the team. Given his ability to rebound at such a high level, one could say he deserved more. This was a rebounding champion and All-Defensive talent. His physicality and toughness was a staple for this team. However, his distractions were very well noted, most notably when he left the Bulls prior to Game 4 of the NBA Finals to wrestle Hulk Hogan. His fine was not even close to 10% of his salary. With that said, Rodman returned and shut down Karl Malone. You have to take the good with the bad. In the end, his role was vital in helping the Bulls three-peat.
Ron Harper – $4,560,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $8,429,059
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 9.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 6.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG
The 1997-98 season was Harper’s 12th in the league. He started all 82 games for the first time in his career. Harper saw his minutes increase to 27.9, while his scoring was one of his highest at 9.3 per game. Earlier in his career, Harper was a 20-point scorer but that average dropped over 60% when he joined the Bulls. Like Longley, Harper was a critical role player that did everything for a win. Being the third-highest player though? That’s a stretch when you look at the roles of Rodman and Pippen.
Toni Kukoc – $4,560,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $8,429,059
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 13.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 13.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Kukoc became a vital part of the team’s success during the second three-peat. He was the 1996 Sixth Man of the Year after a career that featured major international success. Kukoc often closed out games offensively for all three title runs. His regular season and playoff stats were consistent with each other. With Rodman playing more of a defensive role, the team needed a third player to step up offensively and that was Kukoc. The most glaring fact that should be noted is that Kukoc’s salary doubled Pippen’s.
Michael Jordan – $33,140,000
2022-23 Equivalent: $61,258,556
1997-98 Regular Season Stats: 28.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
1997-98 Playoff Stats: 32.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG
We recently saw a few contracts handed out to players like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard that will pay them close to $60 million. If there was one player then or now that deserved that type of contract, it would one Michael Jordan. He was the MVP of the regular season and then capped off his Bulls career with his sixth Finals MVP Award. That included capping the Finals off with a game-winning shot over Jazz guard Byron Russell with 5.2 seconds left to give the Bulls an 87-86 lead. The Bulls would hold onto win their sixth championship. When it comes to investments, this was the ultimate one.
Michael Jordan Earns More Money Than The Entire Team
Total Salary For The 1998 Chicago Bulls: $61,330,670
As much as we love basketball, we have to remember that this is a business. The franchise owners make investments in players with the hope that they return the investment with stellar play. Jordan made more money than the entire team. On top of that, the salary cap was $27 million. No player made more than $5 million but Jordan exceeded the salary cap by himself. Given that he won the MVP Award and Finals MVP Award, it was worth spending a ton of money for a ton of talent.