Who should be selected next for the Bulls’ Ring of Honor? 5 potential choices for the future.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls will honor 13 former players, coaches and executives this week with induction into the inaugural class of the Ring of Honor. This first class includes superstars such as Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame coaches such as Phil Jackson and the 1996 team that previously set a league record with 72 wins.

The Bulls won’t introduce another class to the Ring of Honor until 2026. So who should be next on the list?

Selection for future classes will have to pass a high bar. Every player in the inaugural class either is enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame or has had his jersey retired by the Bulls. The coaches and front office members selected — Jackson, Dick Klein, Tex Winter — are synonymous with Bulls basketball.

The 2026 class won’t include players like Derrick Rose or Pau Gasol due to the qualifications set by the Bulls for selection: players must have been retired for at least three years and must have played at least three seasons with the Bulls.

Here are five potential picks for the next class.

1. Horace Grant

— Years with Bulls: 1987-1994

A centerpiece of the teams that won three titles between 1991 and 1993, Grant defined the Bulls' defense during the first half of their decade of dominance. He was a four-time All-Defensive selection while playing for the Bulls, which included the critical block to clinch Game 5 of the 1993 NBA Finals over the Phoenix Suns.

He returned to the program to serve as a Bulls ambassador and adviser in 2016.

2. The 1990-91 team

This was the first team to clear the final hurdle for the Bulls, ushering in a new era of dominance that no other NBA franchise has quite replicated.

The Bulls went 61-21 and Michael Jordan won his second MVP in the 1990-91 regular season. The team swept the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals before beating Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the finals.

Alongside current Ring of Honor inductees such as Jordan and Scottie Pippen, this roster included longtime members of the franchise such as John Paxson, Will Perdue and Stacey King. The Bulls also drafted Toni Kukoč in 1990, although the young star did not come to Chicago until 1993.

3. Dick Motta

— Years with Bulls: 1968-1976

A critical leader in the early years of the franchise’s history, Motta was the second coach in the history of the Bulls.

Motta led the Bulls to four consecutive 50-win seasons between 1970 and 1974, winning Coach of the Year in 1971. Although he never took the team past the then-Western Conference finals, Motta finished his run with the Bulls with a 356-300 record.

4. Joakim Noah

— Years with Bulls: 2007-2016

Noah is the most contemporary player who is likely to land in the Ring of Honor.

Over nine seasons with the Bulls, Noah was a two-time All-Star and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. Although he was never able to lead the Bulls past the conference finals, Noah was a staple of the team’s most recent series of success from 2011 to 2015.

5. Norm Van Lier

— Years with Bulls: 1971-1978

Another key member of the founding era of Bulls history, Van Lier was one of the most popular players in the league — and in Chicago — in the 1970s.

He was a three-time All-Star with the Bulls and earned three All-Defense honors. After his playing career, Van Lier returned to Chicago to serve as a Bulls radio announcer from 1980 to 1982, then as the team’s pre- and postgame television analyst from 1992 until his death in 2009.