Men's Basketball | 9/17/2025 8:09:00 PM

Former Saint Francis men's basketball standout Norm Van Lier will join the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor in November. Van Lier, who played in Pittsburgh at Midland High School before he came to Saint Francis, enjoyed a 10-year career in the NBA, including seven seasons with the Bulls.

Van Lier is part of a six-person class that represents the best of the Bulls on the court, from the bench and front office, and in the broadcast booth. The Bulls Hall of Honor was started in 2024-25 with a 14-person class and included Michael Jordan.

"Each member of the Class of 2025 has earned their place in Bulls history, as their impact goes far beyond the court, the locker room or the broadcast booth," said Michael Reinsdorf, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bulls, in the Bulls press release. "This November, we look forward to cementing their legacies and celebrating Johnny, Bill, Neil, Horace, John, and Norm alongside our fans." 

The Bulls will celebrate the Class of 2025 with several events in November, including recognition during the Bulls game against the Washington Wizards on November 22 and a private gala on November 20, both proudly presented by Magellan Corporation. 

Van Lier was a three-year standout for the Frankies from 1966-69. He finished his career in Loretto with 1,410 points and averaged 18.8 points per game. Van Lier left as the third-leading scorer in program history behind only Maurice Stokes (2,282 points, 1951-55) and Sandy Williams (1,546 points, 1961-64). He currently sits in 13th place in program history. During the 1967-68 season, Van Lier dished out a program-record 290 assists.
 
Saint Francis went 55-20 in Van Lier's three seasons in Loretto. Legendary Frankies' head coach Dr. Skip Hughes retired before Van Lier's first season, but Van Lier helped the squad to a 20-6 record in 1966-67, a 19-6 record in 1967-68, and a 16-8 mark in 1968-69 during the three seasons John Clark was the head coach.
 
Van Lier became the fifth Saint Francis player drafted in program history in 1969 when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the fifth pick in the third round. 
 
After being traded from the Bulls to the Cincinnati Royals, the same team another Saint Francis legend, Maurice Stokes, played for in his career, Van Lier was a member of the Royals from 1969-71. He led the NBA in assists in 1971 and became the first player in NBA history to have a scoreless double-double with zero points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds in a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, a feat no one would duplicate for 50 years.
 
Van Lier was traded back to the Bulls during 1971-72 and played in Chicago until 1978. Van Lier earned three All-Star Games appearances (1974, 1976, 1977), three NBA All-Defensive first-team selections (1974, 1976, 1977), five NBA All-Defensive second-team honors (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1978), and a spot on the All-NBA second team (1974). He has the most defensive team selections, along with Michael Cooper, who have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame. On January 19, 1977, Van Lier broke the record for the longest successful field goal in NBA history, at 84 feet. The record stood for 24 years until Baron Davis eclipsed it on November 17, 2001, from 89 feet.
 
After playing briefly with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1978-79 season, Van Lier retired with 8,770 points and 5,217 assists. He registered a career-high 42 points against Seattle on January 12, 1975, and 13 rebounds against Golden State on January 11, 1975. He dished out a career-high 18 assists eight times, including thrice in 12 days in 1971.
 
He was inducted into the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame on July 30, 1999, in the second Hall of Fame ceremony in school history. Van Lier is one of three former Frankies to have his number retired by Saint Francis, and he passed away on February 26, 2009.

Van Lier is the second former Red Flash men's basketball player to be honored by an NBA team he played for, following Stokes' No. 12 jersey retirement by the Sacramento Kings. Stokes was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2004.