“Needlessly Alienated Michael Jordan”: When Jerry Krause’s One Mistake Caused 15 Years of Hostility in the Bulls Camp

The Last Dance glorified the hate Jerry Krause received for breaking up the Chicago Bulls. Perhaps the influence of Michael Jordan in the making of the documentary led to the heat that Krause faced. But contrary to the narrative shown in the documentary, Jerry was, by all means, a genius who found and got every piece of the Bulls dynasty together. But right at the start, just a season after MJ was drafted, the former Chicago GM made a mistake that ended up alienating Jordan. He traded Michael’s favorite man on the team, a mistake that would hound him for 15 years as per the author Roland Lazenby in his book Michael Jordan: The Life.

When Jordan reached Chicago, though everyone saw he was a star in the making, he did not really gel with the Bulls veterans. The team at the time was more focused on partying and being celebrities than winning. Something that was unacceptable to Jordan.

However, Michael quickly developed a friendship with Rod Higgins. But the friendship was quickly interrupted after Krause traded Higgins. This would start a fire in Jordan that would not die even decades after his retirement from the NBA.

Jerry Krause firing Rod Higgins infuriated Michael Jordan

In 1985, Krause traded Rod Higgins to the Seattle Supersonics. Michael, who had befriended Higgins during his time in Chicago, found himself lonely after the trade.

Krause moved Higgins despite knowing what he meant to Michael. This caused Jordan to harbor a grudge for a long long time. In fact, Krause even knew he had made a mistake.

In his book, Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby revealed what Krause felt after alienating Jordan. He knew the greatest talent in basketball was upset because of this move by the GM.

Lazenby wrote: “For all his ambition and insight, Krause quickly erred that first year back in Chicago in that he needlessly alienated Jordan, which would put their relationship on a negative footing for the next fifteen years. Among the early steps Krause took was the trading of Jordan’s best friend on the team. “We traded Rod Higgins,” Krause admitted later. “Michael was upset about that.””

Krause added fuel to the fire

To make matters worse, Krause got Rod back in Chicago only to trade him again after just 5 games. This, added to the fact that he would needle MJ willingly, only further ruined his relationship with the Bulls superstar.

Apparently, Jerry took great pleasure in comparing Michael with other legends and would often try to annoy him with his analogies. As a man who had braved all odds to become a scout and rise to the position of a GM, Krause enjoyed challenging talented men. But going after Michael may not have been the best of decisions.