CHICAGO — The Bulls celebrated their inaugural class for the organization’s new Ring of Honor during halftime of Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
The first class included 13 men and the entire 1995-96 team, which went 72-10 and won the NBA championship.
However, the Bulls were missing a few key members from that team. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were absent from the festivities. Rodman was scheduled to appear but had his travel plans canceled because of inclement weather. Both he and Jordan submitted video messages acknowledging the honor.
“I am so bummed that I can’t be there tonight,” Jordan said in a taped video message to fans. “But I don’t want that to stop the fun that you guys are going to have.”
In addition to Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, the 13-member inaugural class included Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, who received the loudest cheers of the attendees, and the late Jerry Krause, who was general manager of the Bulls from 1985 to 2003.
Krause’s name was loudly booed by the United Center crowd, and his widow, Thelma, who represented him at the ceremony, was visibly emotional at the reception. Krause, who died in 2017, was the architect of the Bulls’ six championship teams but also was often blamed for the disintegration of the dynasty that he had been such a big part of building.
The situation prompted a statement from Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf to NBC Sports Chicago, in which he lauded Krause as “an important part of our history.”
“Jerry Krause is a six-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Executive of the Year. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments and is an important part of our history,” Reinsdorf said. “His legacy deserves to be celebrated and respected. We were incredibly honored to have Thelma with us this evening to recognize Jerry as a member of the inaugural Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr — who played five seasons in Chicago from 1993 to 1998 and was grateful that the Bulls’ scheduling allowed for him to be in attendance Friday — said he was in the locker room at the time but heard about the booing, which he decried as “absolutely shameful.”
“I’m devastated for Thelma and for the Krause family,” Kerr said. “I cannot believe that the fans — and you have to understand, when you hear boos, it’s not all of them. The fans who booed, they know who they are. To me, it’s absolutely shameful and I’m devastated by that.
“Whether people liked Jerry or not … we’re here to celebrate that team. Jerry did an amazing job building that team. … And I’m so disappointed in the fans — and I wanna be specific because there were lots of fans who I’m sure did not boo. But those who booed, they should be ashamed.”
Also among the 13 inductees were Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Toni Kukoc, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winter, in addition to the 1995-96 team, which was referred to as “the greatest team in NBA history.”
Chicago forever loves Phil Jackson ❤️ pic.twitter.com/11YayHVsPy
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 13, 2024
Chicago celebrated the inaugural class at a private gala at the United Center on Thursday before recognizing it in front of a packed crowd during an extended halftime session Friday against Kerr’s Warriors.
“I was very flattered that they put it together around our game so that I could be here,” Kerr said before Friday’s game, which the Warriors came back to win 140-131 thanks to a big second-half turnaround. “We had a wonderful night, not only at the gala, but afterwards, connecting with the team. A lot of stories, a lot of fun. It was just a great, great night.
“In terms of everybody getting together, it’s probably been since a few days after the ’98 Finals, when the team broke up, and we knew it. We all got together one night back then and smoked cigars and drank a few cocktails and told stories.”
The Bulls will add to the Ring of Honor every two years, with the next class being revealed in 2026.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.
Source : ESPN
