Former Chicago Bulls guard Randy Brown is convinced the team could have won a fourth straight NBA championship in 1999 if the roster had remained intact. Speaking to RotoGrinders, the three-time champion reflected on the dynasty’s abrupt end and how the lockout-shortened season could have worked in their favor.
“We clearly would have won another championship,” Brown said. “We were in our prime, we were healthy, and we were hungry.”
Brown emphasized that Phil Jackson’s departure and Michael Jordan’s second retirement prevented the team from defending its title. The legendary coach underwent surgery during the lockout, which ultimately solidified his decision to leave.
“If there wasn’t a strike, Phil probably would have come back,” Brown noted. “He was hurting physically during that season, and the NBA going on strike pushed him to say, ‘Let me go ahead and do the surgery while there’s no basketball at all.'”
The 1998-99 season was reduced to 50 games due to a labor dispute, and the Bulls entered a full-scale rebuild. Brown, Toni Kukoc, Ron Harper, and Dickey Simpkins were among the few remaining players from the championship squad.
“It was disappointing that we weren’t given a real opportunity to defend what was ours,” Brown admitted. “I don’t think this has ever happened in sports where a championship team is just dismantled and not given an opportunity to defend that title.”
The transition from winning 62 games in 1998 to struggling in 1999 was jarring. Brown recalled walking into training camp and realizing how much the team had changed.
“I was just talking to Toni Kukoc the other day about it,” he said. “The only people who were left were me, Toni, Ron Harper, and Dickey Simpkins.”
Chicago finished the season 13-37 under new head coach Tim Floyd, marking a stark contrast from the franchise’s dominance the previous three years. The San Antonio Spurs went on to win the championship, but Brown believes a full-strength Bulls team would have been the favorites.
During his time with the dynasty, Brown described practicing with Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman as more intense than actual games. He credited their relentless work ethic for preparing the team for deep playoff runs.
“Phil Jackson was really good with us,” Brown said. “Being a former player, he understood what practice was all about, and it became a running joke that our practices basically were harder than the games.”
“We’d have a game to 20, and we would never make it to 20 because both teams were very competitive,” he added. “There were defensive players on both sides of the ball, and that’s why it was so intense. It was a grueling hour and a half.”
The Bulls’ dynasty remains one of the most dominant runs in NBA history, but the sudden breakup has left many wondering what could have been. Brown remains confident that, with their core intact, Chicago would have been in position to win a seventh championship.
“We were lucky that we didn’t have a lot of injuries,” he said. “And like I said before, I was shocked to see one through 15 guys practicing so hard, but this prepared us for the games.”
With a shortened season, a veteran roster, and championship experience, Brown believes Chicago could have extended its dominance into 1999.
