“Never Once Did That Happen”: Michael Jordan, According to Jerry Krause Decades After the Bulls Dynasty, Never Asked Him to Trade for Or Draft a Player

With all the insights that the documentary ‘The Last Dance‘ gave us, the most interesting would be the relationship between Michael Jordan and the then General Manager of the Chicago Bulls – Jerry Krause. Jordan and Krause could not see eye to eye at one point in the Bulls dynasty. However, despite all the internal rift, the Chicago side was able to put together a team that managed to win six championships, mostly due to Krause’s competence. Decades after the dynasty ended, Krause praised Jordan for never interfering with the front office’s decisions.

The relationship between Jordan and Krause soured due to the latter’s wish to get more credit for putting together the Bulls roster. Isiah Thomas, one of Jordan’s rivals in the 90s, spoke about the portrayal of Krause by Jordan in his documentary – The Last Dance. According to Thomas, the way the Bulls GM was portrayed in the docuseries was unfair and disrespectful. He felt Krause should have gotten the respect he deserved for putting together a decent team for Jordan. The Detroit Pistons legend further added that Krause’s contemporaries – Red Auerbach and Jerry West, were never treated this way.

Jerry Krause praised Michael Jordan for not interfering in his decisions

We all know the tumultuous relationship between the greatest Chicago Bulls player and his General Manager. The reasons are plenty, and some very petty. However, in a clip posted by ‘jumpmanhistory’ on Instagram, Jerry Krause seemed to praise the Hall of Famer for never interfering with the front-office’s decisions. Here is what he said:

“I will say one thing for Michael Jordan now and forever… he never came to me and asked me to draft a player. He never came to me and asked me to trade for a player. Never once did that happen. Part of it was because he thought he was so darn good, he could win without’ em.”

In the NBA today, superstars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Damian Lillard have been key decision-makers for their teams. The superstars have complete leverage over their roster and are often seen vetoing decisions that are not to their liking.

That, however, was never the case in the 1990s. As mentioned by Jerry Krause, the greatest player of all time never influenced his decision or forced his hand in matters of the front office. Though, Krause did mention that it was partly because Jordan thought he could win with anyone. Despite MJ’s arrogance, this non-interference is a rare sighting in today’s NBA.

Jordan did interfere when it came to Scottie Pippen

Though Jerry Krause maintained that Michael Jordan did not interfere in the front office decisions, he did miss out on the one instance where ‘His Airness’ forced his hand. In 1994, Scottie Pippen was to be traded to the Seattle Supersonics for Shawn Kemp. At this point, Jordan had taken a temporary hiatus from the league due to the unfortunate death of his father.

However, when the trade rumors reached his ears, he was quoted saying that he would probably not return if his teammate Scottie Pippen was traded. He said the chemistry would not be the same with Kemp, and he is more comfortable with Pippen.

The possibility of Jordan returning to the league was enough to change any manager’s mind, and that’s exactly what happened. The trade was reversed. Knowingly or unknowingly, Jordan did force his hand on the front-office. The Jordan-Pippen duo would win three more championships and cement their place in history.