Chicago Bulls: Kris Dunn’s unbelievable rags to riches story

Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn has gone through a ridiculous amount of hardship to become the starting caliber point guard he is today.

The Chicago Bulls knew what they were doing when they traded for Kris Dunn. After all, many people thought Dunn was the steal of the draft when the Minnesota Timberwolves selected him 5th overall back in the 2016 NBA Draft.

And while Jimmy Butler might have you believe that being drafted by Minnesota is a hardship, for Dunn, his life leading up to that moment put him through more than most could imagine.

Like many young kids in America, Kris Dunn grew up without a father. He was moved early on in his life from Connecticut to Virginia, and while his mother tried to support them, her efforts often led to desperation, which led to stints in jail, according to USA Today.

But what makes Kris’ story so extraordinary is the extreme poverty that he faced. While poverty is one of the saddest indignities in America (and frankly, around the world), for Kris, it made him hard as nails.

Most know Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” reaches beyond the court and clutch time, and into the gym with insane work regimes. For Bryant, growing up well cared for as the son of a professional basketball player, that is certainly an unlikely mindset.

But for Kris Dunn, he experienced that hunger first hand.

Whether it was eating Corn Flakes with water because of the price of milk, or simply not having enough money to keep the lights or electricity, Dunn was living in profound poverty.

Especially when his mother was in jail, Kris and his brother had to learn to fend for themselves, rather than alert the authorities that they were illegally uncared for.

The Dunn brothers recognized Kris’ talent as an asset early on, as Kris would challenge others to a one-on-one in the park for money, usually without the cash to pay if he lost. This put his basketball skills to work and put the pressure on him in a way that even the NBA could never compare to. In a way, he has already played his most urgently meaningful basketball.

Kris Dunn took all of these hardships and turned them into a chiseled skill set, a gritty defensive mindset, and a must-win attitude. Dunn himself citing one of his favorite players growing up being Rajon Rondo, the comparison is there: dimes, physicality, swipes on anyone who slashes into the lane, all with a bit more of an offensive knack. Just looked at this brilliant performance from last season against the highly competitive Houston Rockets:

This is the kind of grit that many NBA players who grew up entitled, often with famous athlete parents could only try to replicate.

Ironically, if anyone could understand this struggle it’d be Jimmy Butler, who has an equally heart-breaking story of his own.

In the end, Kris reformed a bond with his dad. Without basketball, he wouldn’t have even had that opportunity.

Basketball was his savior.

Even after he stabilized his home life, Dunn had to deal with two shoulder surgeries in his time at Providence, which led to him needing a full four years to prove himself in college.

And finally, even after being drafted, it wasn’t until he was a footnote of the infamous Jimmy Butler trade that he became the Kris Dunn known to the basketball world as the Chicago Bulls’ point guard of the future. He started 43 of his 52 contests last season and is certainly one of the leagues last pure point guards, who prioritize facilitating and making others around him better.

Dunn had to deal with being knocked down at every turn, even after being drafted as a high lottery selection.

Just like Rocky Balboa would say, “…nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

That’s your starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls.

Get excited.