Chicago Bulls color commentator Stacey King took some time during the broadcast of Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors to blast a vocal contingent of fans at the United Center.
During halftime of Friday’s game, the Bulls paid tribute to their inaugural Ring of Honor Class. Among the inductees was Jerry Krause, who was honored as part of Chicago’s 1995-96 team that went a then-record 72-10 and won the team’s fourth NBA Championship of the decade. The Bulls won the next two championships, as well, before the team dissolved.
Much has been written and said about the dissolution of the Bulls. But it’s safe to say that the frosty relationship between Krause, coach Phil Jackson and star Michael Jordan (who was honored both individually and as part of the 95-96 team, but was not in attendance on Friday) was a factor. Apparently, many of the fans have not let go of their frustration towards Krause.
Krause passed away in 2017. On hand to receive the honor in his stead was his widow, Thelma Krause. When Krause’s name was announced, he was booed. How many fans were booing was unclear, but it was audible on television.
Regardless of how one might regard Krause now, booing a deceased man in front of his widow is going to earn some criticism. One of the many voices criticizing the booing fans was King.
“We just had a remarkable ceremony, bringing back these legends. And I’ll tell you what, Chicago is a sports town. And what we witnessed today when Jerry Krause’s name was called — and the people that booed Jerry Krause and his widow, who was accepting this honor for him — it was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I hurt for that lady. It brought her to tears. And whoever booed her in this arena should be ashamed of themselves. That’s not Chicago. That’s New York, Philly…Chicago’s not like that.
“Whether you like Jerry Krause or not. That man brought six championships here. He didn’t shoot a basket, nor did he get a rebound. But he put six titles up. There’s a lot of teams that don’t even have one. That was really classless. I was disappointed in the people that booed. It was a sad day.”
His broadcast partner, play-by-play man Adam Amin, added “It left a little bit of a pit in the stomach for what should have been a really celebratory 15-20 minutes. And that didn’t feel right, admittedly. I’m with you on that.”
"The people that booed Jerry Krause and his widow, who was accepting this honor for him, it was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life."
NBC Sports Chicago color commentator Stacey King blasts Bulls fans who booed Jerry Krause.pic.twitter.com/TYUfmFXZUs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2024
King and Amin were not the only Bulls announcers to rip those who booed. Radio play-by-play man Chuck Swirsky did the same, tweeting “Chicago–we’re better than this. Booing Jerry Krause was uncalled for.
https://twitter.com/ctsbulls/status/1745993534346322006
[Chuck Swirsky on Twitter/X, Photo Credit: NBC Sports Chicago]
