Sports World Nostalgia: B.J. Armstrong

When discussion comes up to the legends of the 1990s Chicago Bulls Dynasty, the same names always come up. Michael, Scottie, Rodman, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, even Tony "The Croatian Sensation" Kukoc and Steve "The little white guy who could" Kerr get mentioned with wistful tones as sports fans everywhere remind themselves of the glory days of a time that may not have actually existed where "teamwork," "grit," "hustle," and "humility" reigned supreme.

But while talking about his Airness or the little white guy who could, many people forget about the little black guy who could. That man, is Benjamin Roy Armstrong, Jr. (Initials, BRA, but more commonly known as just "BJ.")

Armstrong was born in Vinnie Bergl's favorite rust belt town of Detroit, Michigan. He later went on to play his college ball at the University of Iowa. He was drafted by the Bulls with the 18th pick in the 1989 draft, 8 spots ahead of Vlade Divac, but 6 picks after Mookie Blaylock, and only one pick after Shawn Kemp.

BJ never really took control of the spotlight, largely because his 6'2" 175 pound body was often mistaken for another player's shadow , and the spotlight moved on. However, Armstrong played an integral role in the Bulls' first three NBA championships, averaging just over 11 points per game in the playoffs during those years.

In 1994, with Michael Jordan gone, BJ had his breakout season, scoring a career high 14.4 ppg, and was rewarded for his efforts with a trip to Minneapolis for the All-Star Game where his 11 points helped lead Mark Price, Mookie Blaylock, Dominique Wilkins, Derrick Coleman, and Scottie Pippen's red shoes to a 127-118 victory over the West. It was Armstrong's only All-Star Game appearance.

Despite his continued efforts and achievements for the team that drafted him, a rift grew between BJ and the Bulls, perhaps because he was only making $620,000 a year. After all, Michael Jordan made $4 million in 1994 without playing one minute, and BJ was making about half of Will Perdue's salary that year. The tension came to a head after the 1995 season, when the Bulls, apparently unable to afford BJ Armstrong anymore, let their team's third-leading scorer go in the expansion draft to the Toronto Raptors. While BJ never got to fly in the Raptors plane , he was spared the fate of having to wear one of the most ridiculous jerseys in sports history.

Traded from the Raptors to the Golden State Warriors, BJ finally started raking in the dead presidents as his salary ballooned to over $2 million. However, as his salary doubled, his production was halved....then halved again. Like a piece of Uranium-238 in the core of a nuclear bomb, BJ Armstrong's usefulness was steadily deteriorating with time. He played with the Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, and Orlando Magic with minimal success, untill he played his last NBA game in 2000 with the Chicago Bulls. Armstrong averaged 7.4 points per game that year, putting the final mark of success on the franchise, as he led Fred Hoiberg, Rusty Larue, and Corey Benjamin to a 17-65 record.

So today, we salute you BJ Armstrong. Not only do you have an awesome stage name if you want to enter the world of adult entertainment as a post-retirement venture, but if it weren't for you, it would have been "PAXSON! TO BE DOWN BY EIGHT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT! YESSSSSSS!!!!!"