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Jamal Collier, ESPN
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls celebrated the debut of the organization’s new Ring of Honor during halftime of Friday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
The first class included 13 men and the entire 1995-96 team, which won the NBA championship with a 72-10 record.
However, the Bulls are missing some key members of the team. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were absent from the festivities. Rodman was scheduled to attend, but his travel plans were canceled due to bad weather. Both he and Jordan submitted video messages recognizing the honor.
“I’m sorry I can’t be here tonight,” Jordan said in a recorded video to fans. “But I don’t want to stop you from having fun.”
In addition to Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, the first 13 members also included Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, who received the loudest cheers from the attendees, and the late Jerry Jerry, who served as general manager of the Bulls from 1985 to 2003. ·Jerry Krause. Architect of six of their championship teams.
Krause’s name was chanted loudly by the United Center crowd, and his widow Thelma, who represented him at the ceremony, was visibly emotional during the reception.
The situation prompted Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf to issue a statement to NBC Sports Chicago praising Krause, who died in 2017, as “an important part of our history.”
“Jerry Krause is a six-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Executive of the Year. He is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments and is an important part of our history,” Reinsdorf said. “His legacy deserves to be celebrated and honored. We are honored to have Selma join us tonight in recognizing Jerry as a member of the inaugural Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor.”
In addition to the 1995-96 season known as the “Greatest Team,” the 13 inductees include Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Tony Cu Kotch, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winter. Teams in NBA history. “
Chicago loves Phil Jackson forever❤️ pic.twitter.com/11YayHVsPy
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 13, 2024
Chicago celebrated its inaugural class at a private evening at the United Center on Thursday, then honored them in front of a packed crowd during an extended halftime on Friday.
Scheduling the ceremony for Friday allowed Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who played five seasons in Chicago from 1993-98, to attend and express his gratitude.
“I’m honored that they did that in our game so I could be here,” Kerr said before Friday’s game, which the Warriors won 140-131 thanks to a second-half comeback. “We had a great night, not only at the party but connecting with the team afterwards. Lots of stories, lots of fun. It was just a really, really good night.
“As far as everyone getting together, it probably started a few days after the ’98 Finals, when the team disbanded, and we knew that. One night, we all got together and smoked cigars and had a few drinks. Have a cocktail and tell us a story.”
The Bulls will add Rings of Honor every two years, with the next level of honor to be announced in 2026.
This report contains information from The Associated Press.