In the year 2017, Former Bulls GM Jerry Krause divulged some details about the professional relationship he shared with Michael Jordan.
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In many’s opinions, ESPN’s docu-series The Last Dance portrayed Jerry Krause in a bad light. The series highlighted Krause’s hostile relationship with the Bulls roster and coach Phil Jackson. Krause was evidently the nemesis in the show.
Phil, Jordan, and Pippen going separate ways had a lot to do with Krause’s authoritarian mentality. There were several instances during the series, which casted Krause in a bad light. For example, the Toni Kukoc incident, Pippen’s contract issues, and the ouster of head coach Phil Jackson.
Krause passed away in March 2017, struggling with Osteomyelitis. The same year, Krause had revealed some valuable details about his working relationship with Jordan.
According to the two-time executive of the year, MJ never interfered in any of the management issues, whether it was related to drafting or trading players.
Jerry Krause talks about Michael Jordan’s professionalism.
Though many think of him as the villain, who ended the Bulls dynasty, one cannot disregard Krause’s exceptional management skills. The former Bulls GM was responsible for drafting some of the finest talents like MJ, Pippen, and Horace Grant.
Ironically, Krause was responsible for Phil landing his first-ever coaching job. Thus one cannot deny his contribution in making the Bulls a dynasty and bringing the city of Chicago six NBA championships.
In 2017, Krause spoke about his undisclosed working relationship with MJ.
“I’ll say this about him, he never came to me and asked for other players. He never came to me and asked me to draft a player. He never came to me to ask me to trade for a player. Never once did that happen.”
Though he might be the villain in many people’s eyes, one cannot deny that he was the catalyst in building the Bulls franchise, something that Jordan acknowledges as well.
