If there was any doubt that Zach LaVine was looking to be traded away by the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline, then perhaps Saturday’s postgame festivities were the confirmation that the Chicago Bulls needed.
It’s been a rough go of things for the 5-9 Bulls, who own the Eastern Conference’s second-worst record through just under 20 percent of the 2023-24 season. So, one would think that LaVine would have wanted to celebrate with his teammates following a 102-97 win over the Miami Heat.
Well, you’d be wrong.
After LaVine recorded 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting (3-of-7 from 3-point range) with eight rebounds and six assists, he left the court. In addition to not celebrating with his teammates, LaVine appeared to have pushed aside a Bulls PR staffer, who was trying to get him to stay on the floor for a postgame interview.
Bulls PR person tried to get Zach LaVine to stay on the court for the Post Game interview & Zach ignored her & pushes her away pic.twitter.com/qSBFJbqgro
— Gustavo (@iamvega1982) November 19, 2023
As you might expect, LaVine’s actions — intentional or not — were not well received by those on social media.
LaVine making it clear: the Chicago Bulls have no right to tell him what to do https://t.co/cP3W1KpxLq
— Brooklynsbeat (@brooklynsbeat) November 19, 2023
I feared this situation could get ugly and this is a terrible look!
For me, Zach is done. He doesn’t want to be here anymore. I genuinely believe he’s requested to leave but it’s been played down by the Bulls to protect him.#SeeRed https://t.co/KtDLwEePt5
— UK Chicago Bulls (@UKChicagoBulls) November 19, 2023
Sounds like Zach was supposed to do a walk-off interview with the flagship station and decided ain't happening. This is not usual behavior for LaVine, but maybe this is no longer the usual LaVine. Bulls PR is very good at their jobs and should have been treated better than this. https://t.co/3akTZ9RPru
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) November 19, 2023
The man has checked out…he just doing his bid now. https://t.co/5FZl8GyNOs
— CL Owens 🏀 🇺🇸 (@CSmoove_Sports) November 19, 2023
Bad look. I’m not there so I’ll wait but BAD look https://t.co/D86uCIyGBk
— Anthony (Tony) Gill (@thetonygill) November 19, 2023
LaVine did speak with reporters in the locker room postgame, after seemingly snubbing the flagship station of a postgame interview. After being asked about what looked like an instance where he was pushing away the Bulls PR staffer, LaVine insisted that it was a miscommunication.
“It was just a miscommunication for us and our PR team,” LaVine told reporters afterward. “We’re all fine.”
Zach LaVine’s explanation on what happened in this moment when he declined the postgame broadcast interview: “Just a miscommunication for us and our PR team. We’re all fine.” https://t.co/HNvzHY9s4q pic.twitter.com/YwRE3lx9rx
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) November 19, 2023
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times suggested to LaVine that he looked “ticked,” in the way he pulled away, mentioning that the two-time All-Star guard is usually pretty accommodating to participating in post-game interviews with either national or local TV broadcasts.
“I’m not ticked at all,” he exclaimed. “I’m happy we got a win, you know. We play these guys in a couple of days and I don’t want to just sit around and celebrate. I’d rather celebrate in the locker room.”
You can choose to believe LaVine at his word, though his actions suggest that he wants out of Chicago. At the same time, the Bulls PR staffers already have a difficult job as is, and don’t deserve to be shown up like that, whether LaVine intended to or not. Like he said, it could have been a miscommunication, but the fact that he was the only player to walk off the court — in the absence of his teammates — speaks to the other elephant in the room here, which is his desire (or lack thereof ) to remain in Chicago.
[Julia Poe on X, The Big Lead]
