Have you been watching Chicago Bulls games this season?
According to a Sports Business Journal report, the answer is most likely “no.”
The report found Bulls television viewership has plummeted 63% from the 2023-24 season, the largest drop-off of any NBA team.
The next-closest decreases, as of Feb. 1, were for the Miami Heat (56%), Atlanta Hawks (50%), Utah Jazz (44%) and Washington Wizards (36%). And after trading away the team’s most popular player, Zach LaVine, and with a tank job potentially looming, Bulls viewership likely will worsen for the final stretch of the season.
The change in regional network from NBC Sports Chicago to the new Chicago Sports Network has vexed Bulls and Blackhawks fans. CHSN has yet to negotiate a carriage agreement with Comcast, meaning many area fans must purchase an antenna — or dust one off from the attic — to access games over the air. And with the Bulls sitting 11 games under .500 at the All-Star break, many have chosen not to engage with the team at all.
The result? Another negative statistic to add to the pile for a team that has won only one playoff game in the last seven seasons.
Lisa Leslie offers Angel Reese tough love
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese hosted WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on this week’s episode of her podcast, “Unapologetically Angel” — and drew some constructive criticism in the process.
Leslie is one of the best frontcourt players in the history of the sport, and the two have worked together during the offseason as Reese focuses on fundamentals to prepare for her second WNBA season. When asked for guidance in Year 2, Leslie was blunt about Reese’s greatest flaw as a player.
“The biggest advice I have for you is going to be how you shoot your layups,” Leslie said. “We’re going to fix that. That’s fixable for you.”
Leslie emphasized growth in other key areas of Reese’s game, including her outside shot, ballhandling and defense. Reese shot only 42.4% on layups as a rookie — a glaring weakness for an elite rebounder. She is currently playing for Rose in Unrivaled, which concludes in March.
Matas Buzelis struggles in dunk contest
NBA All-Star weekend did not go as planned for Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis.
Buzelis was only the fifth Bulls player to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night and hoped to become the first to win it since Michael Jordan in 1988. But Buzelis had a failure to launch from the start of the contest, missing all six attempts of his opening dunk, which involved dribbling the ball between his legs while launching from behind the basket.
He managed to land his second dunk — a redirected reverse with the ball lobbed to him off the side of the backboard — but still finished with the lowest aggregate score (87.4) in the first round.
G League player Mac McClung became the first to win three consecutive dunk contests, highlighted by dunking over a Kia sedan after grabbing the ball out of the sunroof.
Kamilla Cardoso finishes the regular season in China
This has been a busy — and crucial — offseason for Sky center Kamilla Cardoso. The former No. 3 pick took little time to rest before heading to the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association, where she played for the Shanghai Sharks.
Cardoso averaged 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 31 games for the Sharks, who finished fourth in their league group with a 20-11 record at the conclusion of the regular season this week. Cardoso will remain with the Sharks through the playoffs — which typically conclude in mid-April — before returning to Chicago for preseason training.
Number of the week: 27
After the All-Star break, there are only 27 games left for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA season. The Bulls entered the break on a four-game losing streak that helped propel them to eighth overall in the draft odds.
Despite a 22-33 record, the Bulls are still sitting in play-in tournament position with a 10th-place ranking in the Eastern Conference. But the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are only 1.5 games back in the standings, giving the Bulls some space to potentially tank even deeper — and higher into the draft lottery odds — if they choose to continue that path.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Thursday: at Knicks, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Saturday: vs. Suns, 4 p.m. (CHSN)
Week ahead: Unrivaled
- Friday: Lunar Owls vs. Rose (Angel Reese), 6:15 p.m. (TNT); Mist (Courtney Vandersloot) vs. Vinyl, 7:15 p.m. (TNT)
- Monday: Phantom vs. Rose, 6:30 p.m. (TNT); Mist vs. Laces, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
What we’re reading
- Illinois freshman Morez Johnson Jr. out indefinitely with a broken wrist: ‘Some guys are going to have to step up’
- Chicago Bulls didn’t trade Nikola Vučević at the deadline. Did they miss their best chance for a maximum return?
- No. 11 Michigan State turns Illinois’ festive night upside down as Tom Izzo earns Big Ten wins record
- Notre Dame is No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll for 1st time since 2019, while Illinois reenters at No. 25
- Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan joins Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Sue Bird among the Hall of Fame finalists
Quotable
“Angel and Kamilla in the post is a shooter’s dream.” — new guard Kia Nurse on joining the Sky
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese hosted Lisa Leslie on her podcast this week, and a report found Chicago Bulls television viewership has plummeted.
Have you been watching Chicago Bulls games this season?
According to a Sports Business Journal report, the answer is most likely “no.”
The report found Bulls television viewership has plummeted 63% from the 2023-24 season, the largest drop-off of any NBA team.
The next-closest decreases, as of Feb. 1, were for the Miami Heat (56%), Atlanta Hawks (50%), Utah Jazz (44%) and Washington Wizards (36%). And after trading away the team’s most popular player, Zach LaVine, and with a tank job potentially looming, Bulls viewership likely will worsen for the final stretch of the season.
The change in regional network from NBC Sports Chicago to the new Chicago Sports Network has vexed Bulls and Blackhawks fans. CHSN has yet to negotiate a carriage agreement with Comcast, meaning many area fans must purchase an antenna — or dust one off from the attic — to access games over the air. And with the Bulls sitting 11 games under .500 at the All-Star break, many have chosen not to engage with the team at all.
The result? Another negative statistic to add to the pile for a team that has won only one playoff game in the last seven seasons.
Lisa Leslie offers Angel Reese tough love
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese hosted WNBA legend Lisa Leslie on this week’s episode of her podcast, “Unapologetically Angel” — and drew some constructive criticism in the process.
Leslie is one of the best frontcourt players in the history of the sport, and the two have worked together during the offseason as Reese focuses on fundamentals to prepare for her second WNBA season. When asked for guidance in Year 2, Leslie was blunt about Reese’s greatest flaw as a player.
“The biggest advice I have for you is going to be how you shoot your layups,” Leslie said. “We’re going to fix that. That’s fixable for you.”
Leslie emphasized growth in other key areas of Reese’s game, including her outside shot, ballhandling and defense. Reese shot only 42.4% on layups as a rookie — a glaring weakness for an elite rebounder. She is currently playing for Rose in Unrivaled, which concludes in March.
Matas Buzelis struggles in dunk contest
NBA All-Star weekend did not go as planned for Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis.
Buzelis was only the fifth Bulls player to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night and hoped to become the first to win it since Michael Jordan in 1988. But Buzelis had a failure to launch from the start of the contest, missing all six attempts of his opening dunk, which involved dribbling the ball between his legs while launching from behind the basket.
He managed to land his second dunk — a redirected reverse with the ball lobbed to him off the side of the backboard — but still finished with the lowest aggregate score (87.4) in the first round.
G League player Mac McClung became the first to win three consecutive dunk contests, highlighted by dunking over a Kia sedan after grabbing the ball out of the sunroof.
Kamilla Cardoso finishes the regular season in China
This has been a busy — and crucial — offseason for Sky center Kamilla Cardoso. The former No. 3 pick took little time to rest before heading to the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association, where she played for the Shanghai Sharks.
Cardoso averaged 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 31 games for the Sharks, who finished fourth in their league group with a 20-11 record at the conclusion of the regular season this week. Cardoso will remain with the Sharks through the playoffs — which typically conclude in mid-April — before returning to Chicago for preseason training.
Number of the week: 27
After the All-Star break, there are only 27 games left for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA season. The Bulls entered the break on a four-game losing streak that helped propel them to eighth overall in the draft odds.
Despite a 22-33 record, the Bulls are still sitting in play-in tournament position with a 10th-place ranking in the Eastern Conference. But the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are only 1.5 games back in the standings, giving the Bulls some space to potentially tank even deeper — and higher into the draft lottery odds — if they choose to continue that path.
Week ahead: Bulls
- Thursday: at Knicks, 6:30 p.m. (CHSN)
- Saturday: vs. Suns, 4 p.m. (CHSN)
Week ahead: Unrivaled
- Friday: Lunar Owls vs. Rose (Angel Reese), 6:15 p.m. (TNT); Mist (Courtney Vandersloot) vs. Vinyl, 7:15 p.m. (TNT)
- Monday: Phantom vs. Rose, 6:30 p.m. (TNT); Mist vs. Laces, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
What we’re reading
- Illinois freshman Morez Johnson Jr. out indefinitely with a broken wrist: ‘Some guys are going to have to step up’
- Chicago Bulls didn’t trade Nikola Vučević at the deadline. Did they miss their best chance for a maximum return?
- No. 11 Michigan State turns Illinois’ festive night upside down as Tom Izzo earns Big Ten wins record
- Notre Dame is No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll for 1st time since 2019, while Illinois reenters at No. 25
- Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan joins Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Sue Bird among the Hall of Fame finalists
Quotable
“Angel and Kamilla in the post is a shooter’s dream.” — new guard Kia Nurse on joining the Sky
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