8 Notable Quotes From Chicago Bulls Media Day That Show It's a New Chapter

Few heads were cocked during the Chicago Bulls' 2026-27 Media Day at the United Center.

For the first time in a long time, the festivities were rather honest and straightforward. There was no reading between the lines with management or awkwardly ambitious goals set by players. Instead, every Chicago Bull who sat in front of the microphone did their part in showing it's a new chapter for the franchise.

With that in mind, let's go over some of the quotes that stood out most. The majority come from the new executive vice president of basketball operations, but there were some from the team's young players worth highlighting!

Sep 28, 2026; Chiacgo, Il, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) poses during media day. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bryson Graham: “We are rebuilding. I know I’ve said that. We’re at the ground floor. We’re building the foundation for this organization and what it’s going to look like moving forward. Although I say that, I get excited because we get to build this and we get to do it together. Just because the word rebuild is out there doesn’t mean this can’t be fun, this can’t be excited.”

Pinch a Chicago Bulls fan!

After years of listening to a delusional front office, this is the exact kind of transparency that Bulls Nation wanted from their new lead executive. Sure, no organization wants to be in a rebuilding phase, but there is no use in denying the obvious. You can't drag yourself out of the mud until you accept that you're stuck in it.

Not to mention, this is a Bulls franchise that has been to one Eastern Conference Finals since Michael Jordan was in town. We're not simply talking about a roster in need of a reset; we're talking about an entire organization. Graham sounds like someone who acknowledges that, and this is the first step toward legitimate growth.

Tiago Splitter: “Of course, we want to win every game, we want to compete every night. But we can’t forget how those guys are developing, how is our identity, culture, our standards [developing].”

Remove the Brazilian accent, close your eyes, and you might not know whether it was Bryson Graham or Tiago Splitter speaking!

The two are very clearly in lockstep to begin this new era, and they preached patience at every stop. Splitter sounded like the opposite of former head coach Billy Donovan, implying that playing through mistakes would be a big part of what this season entails. To be sure, the on-court results will matter, but not as much as the progress being shown behind the scenes. That's not a message the Bulls have shared in the past.

Bryson Graham: “That is going to be a constant fight, and that’s going to be something that me and Tiago and the rest of the staff have to be committed to: Not mortgaging the future for short-term gains. I’m going to be leaning on Tiago, and Tiago is going to be leaning on me because, yes, you want to expedite the process … I will do my best to be patient because just like every fan in the city of Chicago, or ownership, we want to win. I want everybody to know that very clearly: We want to win, and we want to win a championship. But it’s going to take discipline and patience.”

Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley frequently attended Small Sample Size Theater. The two executives repeatedly got intoxicated by a small winning stretch, convincing themselves that they weren't far off from becoming a relevant playoff team. With that in mind, it was refreshing to hear Bryson Graham note how important it will be to stay the course.

A rebuild is never easy. There will be a sense of pressure to speed up the process. But when has skipping steps ever paid off? Once again, this is the level of self-awareness that former Bulls executives didn't appear to offer. Patience is a virtue, and the Bulls are wise to remind both fans and themselves of that from the jump.

Bryson Graham: “We had a lot of cap space. We were able to fill that space appropriately where, because of the new rules, we were able to raise the floor a little bit, but not mortgage the future, which is really important. As you’re developing, especially now, it’s better to develop with a more competent roster. I think that’s really really important, as well … We’re still not out of that game. That’s still a focus of ours. And, hopefully, with our room mid-level that’s intact, there are some opportunities down the line.”

In another moment of almost shocking transparency, Bryson Graham walked through his offseason thinking. The NBA's new lottery system no longer rewards those teams swimming at the bottom of the barrel, which is seemingly why he viewed players like Norman Powell and Nic Claxton as important additions. At the same time, he implied that neither does much to hurt their long-term flexibility, as this is a roster that will look to make consistent changes.

Speaking of which, this is exactly why he pointed toward the room exception. The Bulls still have plenty of space to operate as a salary-dump destination, especially when considering their available 15th roster spot.

It may not have been the most exciting Bulls offseason from a roster-building standpoint, but it's another encouraging sign that Graham was able to explain why. You also have to appreciate his line of thinking when it comes to player development. The old Bulls would have added Powell and Claxton primarily to help in the win-loss column. While Graham knows they can help this team avoid a bottom-three slot, he also sees the immediate value in putting the right kind of players around his young talent.

Bryson Graham: The expectations are probably pretty high because Caleb is pretty outspoken, but internally we know it’s a season of growth, of development. We have to be ok with giving him grace because he’s doing to have some ups and downs. There is going to be some progress, and there is going to be some regression. But are we going to be like, ‘Caleb, get out of the game, you turned the ball over.’ No. That’s where we are at. That’s the building phase.”

Don't let Billy Donovan see this!

In the past, we saw the Chicago Bulls take a prove-it approach with their young players. Not anymore. We can expect to see plenty of No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, as well as his young running mates. It speaks further to the organizational shift in both how they plan to develop players and how important it is for them to accomplish anything of significance in the short-term.

Everything about this season is with the future in mind. The freedom the Bulls give Wilson to learn will be the biggest example of that.

Caleb Wilson: “In my opinion, there is no leadership in blending in. So I’m definitely not going to try to blend in. I am going to go in there and lead by example. As a rookie, I feel like people respect actions more than voice and words. So, I’ll let my actions lead. I’ll work really hard. Eventually, I’ll kind of blend in talking. But my whole goal is to let everyone know what my tone is from actually showing what I’m going to do.”

Caleb Wilson is the opposite of modest. From the moment he sat down, he sounded like a player who wanted to be the face of the franchise. To be sure, he was more than humble about the work that lay ahead, but the 20-year-old might as well sweat confidence. A lot of rookies come in with the expectation to take a back seat. Wilson's insistence that he will do the opposite is part of what makes him such a special and undeniably tantalizing piece to build around.

Josh Giddey: “I think being a point guard, the ball is naturally in your hand more. But it doesn’t mean I have to be the guy to bring the ball up the court every time. We got a lot of guys with a lot of versatility. Whether it’s Matas, Caleb getting rebounds, pushing the ball in transition, that’s probably going to happen a lot as well ... My role has been pretty similar my whole career in terms of handling the ball but I’m not shy to run the wing, run the lane, get out in transition to allow other guys to handle the ball as well. We have a versatile group and there will be a ton of guys that handle the ball, as well.”

Josh Giddey's place in this young core feels the most up in the air. While there is no doubt he's talented enough to be a fundamental piece moving forward, there remain some pretty big questions about his fit on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, it's hard not to wonder how he might handle more off-ball responsibilities. Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson are only going to see their usage steadily increase. During his time in OKC, the emergence of guys around him led to plenty of struggles for Giddey. Showing that he's learned from those days will be a major part of determining his role for this franchise long-term.

Matas Buzelis: "Of course, he [Caleb Wilson] has a lot to prove, so do I. I think that is what makes us dangerous. We want to prove something. We feel like we have a responsibility as leaders on this team to show, and that’s including everyone. It’s a big responsibility. I think we are definitely up to that challenge. He’s going to go through ups and downs. I think everyone does. I was in that position. But the one thing about him is that he keeps trying to learn. That’s the difference between guys. When they’re trying to learn and a grow, especially a guy like him, it’s going to be a problem.”

Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson have a chance to be one of the most exciting wing duos in the NBA. And Buzelis knows it.

The third-year forward raved about his new rookie teammate, calling the snippets he's seen from Wilson thus far "incredible." Of course, it's going to take some time for the chemistry to build, and all the Media Day talk about being patient highlights that point. However, it's certainly notable that Buzelis is already speaking specifically about Wilson and him being the foundation moving forward. It confirms that this has very much been the messaging behind the scenes.

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