Raptors versus Bulls 25th Anniversary

25 years ago today I was at the SkyDome in Toronto with my dad, brother and my brother’s friend. It was my first time watching the Raptors in their inaugural season, and my first time ever seeing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls were 60-8 coming into this game, the Raptors were 17-49. I was a huge Bulls fan, and definitely not a Raptors fan.

Young Joel was crushed when Michael Jordan’s potential game winner splashed through just after the buzzer. The lowly expansion Raptors had beaten the Bulls and I could not believe it. Now 25 years later I can appreciate the game for the momentous game that it was. It was only 1 of 10 times the Bulls lost that season, and it remained one of the Raptors’ greatest victories for years and years, until they finally won the championship in 2019. This game will always be special to me, and I wanted to commemorate it with an illustration. As difficult as it was to draw Michael and Scottie with their heads down, I’m glad I was there.

I have signed prints available of this illustration in my shop.

Toronto Raptors

The first Toronto Raptors game I went to was March 26th, 1996. The game was at the Skydome in Toronto, a stadium meant for baseball games with a seating capacity of 53,000. It was not an ideal place to play or to watch a basketball game, but it was the Raptors’ inaugural season and as a basketball fan I had never seen an actual NBA game before, aside from an exhibition game a few years before. To top it off, the Raptors were playing the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s Bulls. And Dennis Rodman! And Steve Kerr! And Toni Kukoc! I loved that team. I still do. They went on to win 72 games, losing only 10 and setting the NBA record at the time. The Bulls were amazing, the Raptors stunk.

The Raptors beat the Bulls. I was crushed. Looking back, it is actually a cool moment, the first great win for the Raptors and a it was a highlight in their franchise history for a long time. I think it should still be a highlight. Any of the 9 teams that beat the Bulls that season (the Pacers did it twice) should mark those games as wins to remember.

Fast forward over two decades and the Toronto Raptors are the NBA Champions. It was a fun playoff run, and I spent a good portion of it watching games while on vacation in Italy and England on NBA League Pass a day after the games were decided, doing my best to avoid spoilers.

Kawhi was incredible to watch, and before the playoffs started I drew this illustration of him. From 1996-1998 and Jordan’s second retirement I would draw Chicago Bulls players, photocopy them 50 times and hand them out to my friends in high school. It was a good luck thing for me that paid off with 3 straight championships for the Bulls. So I decided to try it again this year (I tried it back in 2012 for the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose proceeded to tear his ACL and the Bulls still haven’t recovered), in the hopes of giving the Raptors some luck. It worked! You’re welcome, Raptors fans.

Kawhi Leonard

Fred Van Vleet

 

Joakim Noah – Chicago Bulls

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My favorite player in the NBA right now is Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls. He’s full of energy and hustle and is a ton of fun to watch.

In high school I made drawings of my favorite Bulls players before the playoffs, photocopied them and gave them to friends. I loved to draw and wanted to bring good luck to my team. They won three championships in the years I did that back then, but of course they had Michael Jordan on their team.

If you’re a Bulls fan and are interested in buying prints of this piece, check out my Etsy shop, or check out A Spectacular Move for more of my NBA illustrations.

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Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

I drew this Rose piece during a Bulls vs. Pacers playoff game recently and finished it up with some color. Derrick Rose will be awarded the MVP trophy before tonight’s game, making him the youngest NBA MVP in history. 22 years old!

I love to watch this guy play and bring the Bulls back to being great again. It’s been a long time since the glory days of the 90s.