THE Chicago Bulls of the late 1990s have gone down as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

But among their ranks during the 1997 season was a little-known forward by the name of Matt Steigenga.

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Steigenga made 124 appearances for the SpartansCredit: Getty

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He played just two games with the Bulls but still won a title ringCredit: YouTube @LamarMatic
He’s a Michigan native who went on to star for the Spartans for four years averaging 10.5 points per game in his 124 appearances.

At 6-foot-7, he was hard to miss.

Selected in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Bulls, his professional career never really took off.

As a rookie, he played in Spain for Tau Cerámica before moving to the Continental Basketball Association where he appeared for the Grand Rapid Hoops and the Rochester Renegade.

In 1993 Steigenga made the move to Japan where he went on to spend three years as a member of the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins, while he also played for the Atlanta Hawks during the 1995 preseason.

He made his way back to the US and the CBA in 1996 via the Quad City Thunder when a year later, he got a call from a familiar face.

It was none other than legendary Bulls general manager Jerry Kraus.

Wondering if this had anything to do with his recent request for tickets, Steigenga was in line for the chance of a lifetime.

“Jerry said, ‘How bout instead of coming to the game, you play in it?'” he explained, via Grand Rapids ABC affiliate WZZM.

Steigenga described this moment as “a huge shock,” adding that he “jumped out of bed, running around the apartment excited.”

He was brought in as a backup with both Dennis Rodman and Toni Kokuc out injured, as per Eurosport.

Five years after being drafted, Steigenga made his debut against the Detroit Pistons, playing just under four minutes during which time he scored his first NBA point.

The next day he played just shy of a further eight minutes, thus finishing his NBA career with three points, two assists, and three rebounds to his name.

Following his brief taste of life as a Bull, Steigenga explained to WZZM: “Michael (Jordan) said to me, ‘You deserve to be part of the team during the playoffs,'” adding: “To me that justifies getting a ring.”

He remained with the Bulls as a practice squad member for the rest of the season, thus winning himself an NBA Championship ring together with the likes of Jordan, Rodman, and Scottie Pippen to name but a few.

The following year Steigenga returned to the Thunder before a single season with the Rockford Lightning, after which he retired.

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Jordan was among those to call for Steigenga to remain on the team for the rest of the 1997 seasonCredit: AFP