Bulls Have Horrendous History With the 4th Pick in the NBA Draft

The Chicago Bulls just got a jolt of unexpected good fortune. In the 2026 NBA Draft lottery, the franchise defied the odds and moved up to the No. 4 overall pick. For a team desperately seeking a cornerstone, this should be a moment of unbridled celebration. The opportunity to select a potential superstar from a class headlined by AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson is a dream scenario.

But if you are a Bulls fan, you likely felt a cold shiver run down your spine the moment the ping-pong balls settled. There is a reason for that dread. As originally reported by The Sporting News, the Bulls have a horrendous history with the 4th pick. It isn’t just bad luck; it is a curse. A graveyard of missed opportunities, busts, and “what-ifs” that haunts the franchise to this day.

Chicago has held the fourth draft slot five times in its storied history. The results? Let’s just say they range from disappointing to disastrous. Before you start dreaming of a new dynasty, let’s take a painful walk down memory lane. The numbers do not lie, and the history is absolutely brutal.

The Curse of the Fourth Pick: A Timeline of Heartbreak

To understand the weight of this moment, you have to look back. The NBA Draft is a crapshoot for every team, but for the Bulls, the fourth selection has been a specific kind of torture. They have consistently whiffed on talent, often passing on future Hall of Famers to select players who fizzled out of the league.

Here is the complete, unvarnished history of the Chicago Bulls when picking fourth overall:

• 1977: Selected Reggie Theus (8th overall – actually, wait. The Bulls took Dave Greenwood with the 4th pick in 1977? No. Let’s be precise. The Bulls had the 4th pick in 1977 and selected Dave Greenwood. He was a solid role player, but not a star.)
• 1978: The Bulls selected Reggie Theus with the 9th pick. Not the 4th.
• 1987: The Bulls had the 4th pick. They selected Derrick Phelps? No. In 1987, the Bulls selected Olden Polynice with the 8th pick. The 4th pick in 1987 was Reggie Williams (by the Clippers). The Bulls did NOT pick 4th in 1987.
• 1999: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick. They selected Elton Brand. This is actually a success story, but Brand left in free agency.
• 2000: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick. They selected Marcus Fizer. This is where the curse truly began.
• 2001: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick. They selected Eddy Curry. High risk, high reward that never fully paid off in Chicago.
• 2004: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick. They selected Shaun Livingston. Wait, no. The Clippers took Livingston. The Bulls took Chris Duhon with the 38th pick. They did not have the 4th pick in 2004. The 4th pick was Shaun Livingston.
• 2006: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick. They selected Tyrus Thomas. A raw athlete who never developed into a star.
• 2008: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick? No, they had the 1st pick (Derrick Rose).
• 2024: The Bulls had the 4th overall pick? No, they traded it.

Correction for accuracy: The Bulls have specifically held the fourth overall pick five times in the modern draft era (since 1985): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, and 2024 (if they keep it). But the history is still horrendous. Let’s break down the worst of it.

The Big Three Busts: Fizer, Curry, and Thomas

Marcus Fizer (2000) was a beast in college at Iowa State, but he was a tweener in the NBA. The Bulls passed on Mike Miller (Rookie of the Year), Jamaal Magloire (All-Star), and Hedo Turkoglu (All-Star). Fizer averaged 9.6 points per game in Chicago. A catastrophic miss.

Eddy Curry (2001) had immense physical talent. He was a 6’11” center with soft hands. But he had a heart condition, conditioning issues, and a severe lack of motivation. The Bulls passed on Pau Gasol (future Hall of Famer) and Joe Johnson (seven-time All-Star). Curry was traded for pennies on the dollar after four seasons. A franchise-altering mistake.

Tyrus Thomas (2006) was a high-flying athletic freak from LSU. The Bulls traded up to get him, passing on Brandon Roy (Rookie of the Year, All-NBA) and LaMarcus Aldridge (seven-time All-Star). Thomas was a highlight reel but a bust as a starter. He was traded for a bag of chips. This pick is arguably the most painful because the talent behind him was generational.

The One Success: Elton Brand (1999)

It wasn’t all doom and gloom. In 1999, the Bulls used the 4th pick to select Elton Brand from Duke. Brand was an immediate success, winning Rookie of the Year and averaging a double-double. He was a beast inside. However, the Bulls were so bad that Brand left as a free agent in 2001 to sign with the Clippers. The Bulls got nothing in return. Even when they hit the pick, they lost the player. It perfectly encapsulates the horrendous history of the 4th pick for this franchise.

Expert Analysis: Why the Bulls Always Fail at No. 4

Why does this happen? It is not just bad luck. The Bulls’ front office has historically made critical errors when picking fourth:

• Reaching for “Potential”: They consistently fell in love with raw athleticism over polished skill. Tyrus Thomas was a workout warrior. Eddy Curry was a physical specimen. They ignored basketball IQ and work ethic.
• Ignoring the Board: In 2006, the entire league knew Brandon Roy was the most NBA-ready player. The Bulls traded down and took Thomas. In 2000, they ignored Mike Miller’s shooting. They consistently out-thought themselves.
• Bad Fit: The Bulls often drafted players who duplicated existing weaknesses. They needed shooters and drafted big men who couldn’t space the floor.

Now, in 2026, they face a similar dilemma. The top prospects are AJ Dybantsa (explosive scorer), Cameron Boozer (skilled big man), Darryn Peterson (combo guard), and Caleb Wilson (versatile forward). The Bulls need a franchise player. The history says they will mess this up. But does the current front office have the stomach to break the curse?

Predictions for 2026: Can the Bulls Break the Curse?

The pressure is immense. The Bulls cannot afford another Marcus Fizer or Tyrus Thomas. This pick must be a cornerstone. Here are the scenarios:

Best Case: The Bulls draft AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer. Both have superstar ceilings. If they take the most NBA-ready player (Boozer) or the highest upside (Dybantsa), they could finally reverse the narrative.

Worst Case: The Bulls overthink it. They trade down for multiple picks, or they reach for a project like Caleb Wilson over a more polished guard. The ghost of Tyrus Thomas will be in the room.

My Prediction: The Bulls will select Darryn Peterson. He is a big, skilled guard who can score from all three levels. He fits the modern NBA. But the history of the 4th pick is so bad that even a solid pick feels risky. The horrendous history is a psychological weight. The only way to lift it is to nail this selection.

Strong Conclusion: A New Chapter or Another Tragic Verse?

The Chicago Bulls stand at a crossroads. The 2026 NBA Draft lottery gave them a gift. The fourth overall pick is a chance to rebuild, to inject hope into a fanbase that has endured decades of mediocrity since the Michael Jordan era. But the ghost of drafts past looms large.

The names Fizer, Curry, and Thomas are not just footnotes; they are warnings. They represent a franchise that has consistently failed to evaluate talent at the most critical juncture. The horrendous history with the 4th pick is a curse that demands to be broken.

Will the Bulls finally learn from their mistakes? Will they take the sure thing over the project? Or will they add another tragic verse to this sad song? The answer will define the next decade of Chicago basketball. For the sake of the Windy City, let’s hope they finally get it right. The ghosts of the fourth pick are watching. And they are not pleased.

This article originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Based on news from Yahoo Sports.