10 People Who've Either Coached or Played for Both the Bulls and Pistons

The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons had a heated rivalry going on during the late '80s and early '90s.

Back then, it was Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and "Da Bulls" vs. Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and the physical, hard-hittin' "Bad Boys." 

The two teams met up in the postseason four consecutive years from 1988 until 1991. Following three-straight seasons of losing to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls finally got it right and won an NBA championship in '91.

That would be the first of six titles that the team captured in the '90s. The Pistons won back-to-back titles in '89 and '90.

Here's a look at 10 people in NBA history who are or were associated with both ball clubs. They're not ranked, but are in chronological order of when they joined the rival team.

For all you Dennis Rodman fans out there, yes, "The Worm" will make an appearance on the list. How in the world could you not have him on a Bulls-Pistons slideshow?

Doug Collins

Collins is the only head coach on the list.

He was hired by the Bulls in 1986, becoming Michael Jordan's third NBA coach. Kevin Loughery and Stan Albeck were the first two.

Collins lasted three seasons in Chicago and guided the Bulls to the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to the rival Pistons.  He was eventually replaced by future Hall of Famer Phil Jackson.

Collins was named head coach of the Grant Hill-led Pistons in 1995. He would guide the team to the playoffs twice during his tenure in Detroit. He was fired and replaced by Alvin Gentry in '98.    

Brad Sellers

The Bulls' drafting of Sellers in 1986 didn't sit very well with Michael Jordan. MJ wanted the team to select former Duke All-American point guard Johnny Dawkins instead.

Sellers, drafted ninth overall, proved to be a huge bust and was traded to Seattle after just three seasons in the league.

He signed a deal with Detroit in '91, where he would play only one season, averaging 2.4 points per game.    

Orlando Woolridge

When Michael Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984, he had a talented teammate by the name of Orlando Woolridge. 

Woolridge had a solid career as a Bull, averaging about 17 points per game during his five years with the the team. It's a shame, though, that he wasn't around for any part of the great '90s dynasty.

He left Chicago in 1986. And after stints in New Jersey, Los Angeles and Denver, he wound up with the Pistons in 1991.

Woolridge missed out on a Bulls dynasty, and he also missed out on the Pistons' "mini-dynasty" by one year.    

Dennis Rodman

There's no question that Rodman is the greatest player on this list. He has to be one of the 10 greatest players in the history of both the Bulls and Pistons.

The steal of the 1986 NBA draft, Rodman spent the first seven years of his career in Detroit. 

Playing defense and grabbing rebounds like he was getting paid $700 million to do so, he was a key player on the Pistons back-to-back title teams.

Rodman won two Defensive Player of the Year Awards and made two All-Star teams as a Piston.

Following a two-year stint in San Antonio, he was dealt to the Bulls in 1995 for backup center Will Perdue. During his three seasons in Chicago, Rodman didn't do much except help the Bulls win a title each year.

He looked like a pretty normal guy in Detroit, with natural black hair and sporting a normal number (No. 10). But by the time he made his way to Chicago, things had changed dramatically. His hair color changed basically every night and he wore No. 91, one of the craziest numbers ever.  

During his recent Hall Fame speech, Rodman sported a cool jacket that represented both the Bulls and Pistons.

When you think of Dennis Rodman, you think of those two teams and not the other three teams he played for: the Spurs, Lakers or Mavericks. 

James Edwards

Like Rodman, Edwards is known for winning a pair of championships with the "Bad Boy" Pistons.

Also like Rodman, Edwards joined the rival Bulls for the 1995-96 campaign in which the team won a record-setting 72 games.  

Edwards was a starter for the Pistons, but not even close as a member of the Bulls. In his lone season in Chicago, the 40-year-old played 28 games and averaged 3.5 points per contest.

John Salley

John "Spider" Salley is the third consecutive Detroit "Bad Boy" to appear on the list. And he's also the third consecutive "Bad Boy" to play for the famous '96 Bulls squad.

Salley signed with Chicago in March 1996 and went on to win the third championship ring of his career.

He was always in the Pistons rotation, but played only about 11 minutes per game with the Bulls.

Brian Williams/Bison Dele

Williams signed with the Bulls in April 1997, with just nine games to go until the end of the regular season. He went on to help the team win a title that year, backing up Luc Longley at center.

A couple of months after picking up a ring in Chicago, Williams inked a deal with the Pistons worth $45 million.

In 1998, he oddly changed his name to Bison Dele and then oddly retired after just two seasons in Detroit, despite being only 30 years old.         

Ben Wallace

As a Piston, Wallace was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year four times and was an All-Star four times as well.

Whether he was rockin' the 'fro or had his braided up, "Big Ben" was truly a fan favorite in Detroit for a good part of the 2000s.

His sensational rebounding and shot-blocking helped Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and the Pistons capture a title in 2004.

In the summer of 2006, Wallace left Detroit to sign a four-year, $60 million deal with the Bulls.

He returned to the Pistons as a free agent in 2009.

Lindsey Hunter

Hunter was drafted 10th overall by the Pistons in the 1993 NBA draft. The guard out of Jackson State wound up becoming a decent player during his days in Detroit.

Hunter was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2000, but was sent back to Detroit in 2003. He served as a backup point guard on the Pistons' 2004 championship team.

After a total of 12 seasons in Detroit, he signed with the Bulls in 2008 and backed up Derrick Rose for the final two years of his career.   

Ben Gordon

The Bulls made Gordon the third overall selection in the 2004 draft.

Gordon would put together a nice first year in Chicago. He became the first rookie in NBA history to be awarded Sixth Man of the Year. He also helped the Bulls reach the playoffs for the first time since 1998, which was the dynasty squad's final season.

Gordon averaged at least 20 points per game twice during his five seasons in Chicago.

In 2009, he did the opposite of Ben Wallace by leaving Chicago for Detroit.

Gordon has spent the last two seasons coming off the bench for the rebuilding Pistons.