Chicago During Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors, the Bulls honored the first class of the organization’s new Ring of Honor. However, the event
took a negative turn when some fans openly jeered Jerry Krause, the longtime general manager of Chicago who passed away in 2017.
Thirteen men and the whole 1995–96 squad, which finished 72–10 and won the NBA title, were inducted into the first class of Ring of Honor.
Three of that team’s most important players—Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman—were not present at the celebration. Rodman was supposed to make an appearance, but bad weather forced him to abandon his trip arrangements. He and Jordan also sent in video messages to accept the recognition.
“I’m really sorry that I can’t
Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman were among the 13 members of the inaugural class, which also included Krause, the Bulls’ general manager from 1985 to 2003, and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, who got the greatest applause from the crowd.
The United Center crowd jeered at Krause’s name, and his widow, Thelma, who stood in for him throughout the ceremony, looked obviously upset at the reception. Although Krause was a major contributor to the creation of the Bulls’ six championship teams, he was frequently held accountable for the collapse of the dynasty.
When play started in the third quarter, former Bulls forward and current NBC Sports Chicago analyst Stacey King expressed his disappointment with the fans who had jeered, calling them impolite.
“I’m telling you what, Chicago is a sports town, and what we witnessed today when Jerry Krause’s name was called and the people that booed Jerry Krause and his widow, who was accepting this honor for him, it was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” King stated. “I feel bad for that woman. made her cry, and those who heckled her in this arena ought to feel bad about themselves.”
In a statement to NBC Sports Chicago, Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf addressed the situation and praised Krause as “an important part of our history.”
Reinsdorf said in part, “His legacy deserves to be celebrated and respected.” It was an immense privilege to have Thelma here with us tonight to commemorate
Coach Steve Kerr of the Warriors, who spent five seasons as a player in Chicago from 1993 to 1998, expressed gratitude to the Bulls for allowing him to attend on Friday. Kerr said he was in the locker room when he heard about the jeering, which he called “absolutely shameful.”
“I’m devastated for Thelma and for the Krause family,” added Kerr. It’s unbelievable, but you have to realize that not all of the fans are making booing noise. The supporters that booed are identifiable. It truly disgusts me, and I’m heartbroken by it.
“We’re here to celebrate that squad, regardless of whether people thought highly of Jerry. Jerry did a fantastic job assembling that group. And I’m really unhappy with
One of the topics in the documentary “The Last Dance” about the 1997–98 season—the last of the Bulls dynasty—was the conflict that Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson occasionally had with Krause.
The Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan remarked of Krause, “You can never take away what he created.” “Without Jerry, there wouldn’t be a historic Chicago Bulls history.”
DeRozan continued, “Family, friends that are still here ought to be appreciated and shouldn’t be disrespected.”
Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Toni Kukoc, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, and Tex Winter were all inducted into the Ring of Honor together with the 1995–96 squad, which was dubbed “the greatest team in NBA history.”
