Julian Phillips speaks of his history with the Chicago Bulls

Bulls draft pick Julian Phillips already has some history with his new squad.

© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Young forward Julian Phillips will be joining the Chicago Bulls after being picked 35th overall by the team in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Tennessee product is aware of the Bulls’ colorful and decorated history, all thanks to his father, who he says grew up a huge Bulls fan.

Special moment

Being selected in the NBA Draft is already a memorable event in itself. Getting picked by the team your father had always rooted for adds even more significance to the moment. When asked about it, Phillips said that he always knew his father was a huge Bulls fan, but never imagined that one day he would eventually be wearing the iconic red and black jersey.

“It is very special,” Phillips said in an interview with The State. “Actually, my father is from Chicago and grew up a Bulls fan, so it is special to go play for a team like that with so much history, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and so on. I am very excited and very thankful.”

Rookie's first day in the office @ju1ianphillips pic.twitter.com/5iRgozsxa5

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 27, 2023

The opportunity of a lifetime

The 6-foot-9 forward is an athletic forward who does his work in the paint and around the rim. He recognizes the opportunity before him and wants to seize every chance he’ll be given to help a Bulls team that missed the postseason this past season.

“I just wanted to be at the draft and hear your name called, put on the hat and walk across the stage. That is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. It is a great memory that you will never forget and always have. Everything from that moment is something that I will have for the rest of my life,” Phillips added.