Chicago Bulls fans were condemned for booing the club’s late, great basketball general manager Jerry Krause, who reduced his widow to tears as she accepted an award on his behalf.
Krause was one of the 13 inaugural members of the Bulls’ Ring of Honor and is considered the architect of the Bulls’ six championship teams.
Krause helped build the Bulls dynasty that won six NBA championships from 1991 to 1998, but was portrayed in the Michael Jordan-inspired documentary “The Last Dance” as leading the team’s unraveling One of the key figures.
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Krause’s relationship with Jordan fell apart after Jordan’s infamous comment was edited and taken out of context.
He allegedly said, “It’s not the players that win championships, it’s the organization,” a comment that infuriated Jordan, who won six consecutive championships in eight years.
However, Krause actually said, “Players and coaches alone can’t win championships, and the word ‘alone’ was deleted for effect.”
Krause’s portrayal in The Last Dance was cited as a factor in some fans booing him, but ironically many of those same fans wouldn’t have been with the team when he was involved with the club Connected.
Bulls legend and current commentator Stacey King condemned the crowd’s booing of the late Mr. Krause.
“Chicago is a sports town, and today when Jerry Krause’s name was called, we witnessed people booing Jerry Krause and his widow, who accepted it for him This honor, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” King said.
“I felt so sorry for the lady, it brought her to tears.
“Whoever booed her on this stage should be ashamed of themselves. That’s not Chicago.
“That’s New York, that’s Philadelphia. That’s not what Chicago is. We don’t have that reputation, whether you like Jerry Krause or not, that guy brought six championships here.
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“He didn’t shoot or grab rebounds, but he won six championships in this arena. There are a lot of teams that don’t even have players like this, and it’s really classless.
“I’m very disappointed that he was booed… I feel bad for that lady, she’s a wonderful lady and it was sad to see her burst into tears. “I just wanted to go out and hug her. “
Krause died on March 21, 2017 at the age of 77.
He is an American sports scout and executive who served as the general manager of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003.
He was named NBA Executive of the Year twice, in 1988 and 1996.