Will Perdue

William Edward Perdue III (born August 29, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a member of four NBA championship teams, three with the Chicago Bulls (1991–1993) and one with the San Antonio Spurs (1999). Perdue was a Studio analyst for NBC Sports Chicago during their pre-game and post-game Chicago Bulls broadcasts until the channel's closure in 2024.

Will Perdue

Personal information
Born	(1965-08-29) August 29, 1965 (age 59) Melbourne, Florida, U.S.
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school	Merritt Island (Merritt Island, Florida)
College	Vanderbilt (1983–1988)
NBA draft	1988: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Drafted by	Chicago Bulls
Playing career	1988–2001
Position	Center
Number	32, 41, 55
Career history
1988–1995	Chicago Bulls
1995–1999	San Antonio Spurs
1999–2000	Chicago Bulls
2000–2001	Portland Trail Blazers
Career highlights
4× NBA champion (1991–1993, 1999) Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (1988) SEC Player of the Year (1988) SEC Athlete of the Year (1988)
Career NBA statistics
Points	3,740 (4.7 ppg)
Rebounds	3,918 (4.9 rpg)
Blocks	527 (0.7 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Youth and college

Perdue attended Merritt Island High School in Merritt Island, Florida^[1] He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores, where he was named a third-team All-American and named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and SEC Male Athlete of the Year in 1988.^[2]

NBA career

Perdue was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 11th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. The Bulls won three championships from 1991 to 1993 during Perdue's career. Perdue was mainly a backup to center Bill Cartwright. He became a regular starter during the 1994–95 NBA season, during which he averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

The emergence of Luc Longley made Perdue expendable, and before the next season's training camp, the Bulls traded him to the San Antonio Spurs for Dennis Rodman.^[3] The Spurs won the NBA championship in 1999, Perdue's fourth.^[4]

In August 1999, Perdue rejoined the Bulls as a free agent. He started 15 of 67 games for them in 1999–2000, averaging 2.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. After the 1999–2000 season, Perdue left Chicago and signed with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he averaged 1.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 4.5 minutes in 13 games.^[4] He averaged 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game over a thirteen-year career.^[5]