Palate Cleanser: It's Great to See the Chicago Bulls Giving Back to the Community

If the holiday season is all about evoking that warm and fuzzy feeling, the Chicago Bulls have done the opposite.

Instead, watching this team go 4-14 since November 7 has elicited more of a frigid and prickly sensation. You know, like a sweater made from frozen porcupine quills. What your grandma never made you one of those!?

Where the team goes from here is a question on everyone's mind, especially with trade season unofficially starting up this week. Monday marked the date that the majority of players who signed new contracts this past summer became trade-eligible. Of course, this now allows front offices to have far more earnest conversations in the lead-up to the February 5 deadline.

All things considered, the Chicago Bulls sure feel like one of those organizations that should be eager to do business. Not only have the past few weeks raised major red flags about their current roster construction, but they have a slew of players on expiring contracts. Whether it be from a roster-building perspective or strictly a business perspective, all signs point toward an active deadline being the right move.

However, as important as all that is to discuss, it never hurts take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The Bulls organization continues to deserve credit for the work they do off the court. Bulls Charities has long provided that coveted heartwarming feeling, and they have done it again with their latest initiative.

The Bulls Community page on social media shared some recent footage from a private holiday party. The team surprised 15 student-athletes from the local Galileo Scholastic Academy with a gaming-inspired event in the United Center atrium. Kids left the arena with plenty of gifts, but not before they had a chance to match up against some of the Bulls' most recognizable faces!

Matas Buzelis, Coby White, Josh Giddey, and more spoke with kids, handing out autographs, and battled it out in NBA 2K.

"I got almost everybody signed off on my jersey today. It's really a dream of mine to get the signatures, and it's just cool that I met all the players. It's just a dream," one of the students shares in the video.

Check it out:

Imagine playing 2K with Bulls players 🤯

Our guys surprised 15 student athletes from Galileo Scholastic Academy, hosting them for a 2K video game holiday party in our United Center atrium ❤️

The students left with holiday gaming gifts and Bulls gear from the squad! pic.twitter.com/7wQjJMrjEs
— Bulls Community (@bullscommunity) December 16, 2025

This latest event only continues the season of giving for the franchise. Over the last several weeks, we have seen multiple Bulls players go out into the community to spread some holiday cheer.

Ayo Dosunmu helped pass out Thanksgiving turkeys to over 100 families, Isaac Okoro hosted families in the South Loop for a private screening of The Polar Express, Josh Giddey teamed up with Ronald McDonald House to give out over $5,000 in toys, and both Dalen Terry and Patrick Williams took kids on a holiday shopping spree. And that's not even the full list of the Bulls' recent activities!

Look, nobody is trying to ignore what is happening on the hardwood. The shortcomings of this team from a competitive standpoint are – and will continue to be – well documented. But that doesn't mean we should forget what this is truly all about.

Sports bring people together. They build a sense of community. One essential job of a brand as big and powerful as the Chicago Bulls is to give back to that community. I love seeing them do precisely that, especially during this time of year.