The Chicago Bulls recently attempted to pay respect to their past contributors through their ‘Ring of Honor’ ceremony. Thus, during the half-time of their home match against the Golden State Warriors, they paid tribute to their former executive Jerry Krause. It backfired miserably as the fans booed the late man during the ceremony, making his widow, Thelma, cry and frustrating Stacey King in the process.
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The ceremony aimed to think back to the good old times and shed a light on the members of the Bulls’ 1995/96 team, which went on a record-breaking 72-10 run in the regular season. So, belated Krause’s image came onto the big screen in the United Center as the 2x NBA Executive of the Year had played a key role. He kept the team together as the General Manager of the organization, helping the franchise eventually win its second three-peat.
Yet, the home crowd refused to acknowledge Krause for his endeavors as the entire arena joined in to taunt the former sports scout. It resulted in teary eyes for his widow who was amongst the attendees during the ceremony. Thelma failed to contain her tears as the instance became visible on the big screen, giving rise to a heartwrenching moment.
The entire situation infuriated Stacey King as the sports announcer later let his thoughts known publicly. “It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” the former Bulls player stated before adding, “Whoever booed her in this arena should be ashamed of themselves. That’s not Chicago, that’s New York”.
The occasion thus damaged the public image of the franchise as the fans expressed disgust at the executive who assisted them in winning six championships. The organization wanted to respect Krause for that despite his differences with the players and coaching staff during his tenure. After all, the Chicago-born had played a key part in ensuring the turnaround of luck since the late 1980s, paving the way for a brighter future.
Amidst the best efforts from the Bulls, the supporters failed to move on from the difficulties of the past. King precisely addressed that in his comments as he expected the crowd to respect Krause for his work with the team. It’s fair to say that the estimations from the organization side panned out much more dissimilarly than anyone expected.
The memorable occasion gave rise to a miserable night with Jerry Krause at its center
The frustration for Krause might have been fueled by the back-and-forth comments between him and the then players in front of the media. His infamous statement, “Players and coaches alone don’t win championships, organizations do,” raised several eyebrows back in the day. Down the line, it has been subjected to criticism by many of the former players.
Michael Jordan openly talked about it during his Hall of Fame speech, stating, “I think the players win the championships and the organization has something to do with it,” he revealed. It displayed the ongoing tensions he had shared with his general manager in the 1990s, damaging the latter’s public image.
Alongside these, the popular belief remained that Krause disbanded the championship-winning team in 1998. He played a significant role in releasing all of the core members – Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson – to start rebuilding. Sadly, the organization refused to reach its former level since then, adding to the frustration of the fans.
With all of MJ, Pippen, and Rodman being absent from attendance, the crowd thus let their emotions flow through Krause. It further puts into perspective how they possibly blame their former executive for their downfall to this day. Yet, making his widow share the burden of his consequences remains unjustified.
