“Michael Jordan was made to feel like Jerry Reinsdorf’s property!”: How MJ was almost prevented from playing against Larry Bird and co in the 1986 NBA playoffs

Michael Jordan certainly had the time of his life with the Chicago Bulls, but it wasn’t without some hiccups.

While Jordan did manage to win it all with the Bulls, including 6 championships and 5 MVP trophies, he had his fair share of arguments with the management of the team, especially with general manager Jerry Krause.

Krause was the architect of the Bulls. From the decision to draft Michael Jordan to adding a supporting cast consisting of Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, the veteran GM was instrumental to the success of the team.

After helping the team add 6 titles to their name, one would expect that the superstar in the team would have a great relationship with the GM. But that certainly wasn’t the case with Jordan and Krause.

Whether it was his decision to bring in a player like Toni Kukoc or not offering Scottie Pippen a good contract, MJ had his fair run-ins with the veteran GM. But it seems like the relationship between the two had deteriorated a long time ago.

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When Jerry Krause really became the villain in Michael Jordan’s eyes

Ever since the release of the Bulls documentary, ‘The Last Dance’ Jordan has publicly stated his disdain for Jerry Krause. But according to former Bulls’ coach Phil Jackson, the cracks began to show up in the 1985-86 season.

In his book the Eleven Rings, Jackson writes, “During his second year with the Bulls, Michael broke his left foot and had to sit out most of the season recovering from the injury. At a certain point, Michael insisted that his foot was fully healed, but Jerry refused to let him play until the doctors gave him the final okay.”

He added, “When Michael pushed back, Jerry told him that management had made the decision because he was ‘their property’, an unfortunate gaffe that alienated Michael and tainted his relationship with Krause from that day forward.”

Krause claiming that Jordan was Bulls’ property certainly did not go well with MJ. While he continued to thrive with the team, the relation between the two deteriorated.

After a number of arguments with the team and Jordan over the years, the veteran GM blew it all up in the 1998 season with the decision to let go off the core Bulls’ roster and step into a rebuild. The supposed rebuild never came into fruition while the Bulls slipped into mediocrity, failing to win a title ever since.

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