The Chicago Bulls‘ inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony on Friday night was marred by fans booing late GM Jerry Krause, which brought his widow to tears. The crowd’s reaction was widely criticized, with Bulls broadcaster Stacey King and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr among those to call it out.
Back in December, the Bulls announced that they would honor 13 franchise legends as well as the entire 1995-96 championship team as the first class of their new Ring of Honor. A three-day celebration was planned from Jan. 10-12, with the inauguration set for Friday night when Kerr and the Warriors were in town.
During the halftime ceremony, each member of the class was introduced and had their accolades read aloud. Krause’s widow, Thelma, was in attendance to accept the honor in Jerry’s place, and appeared visibly upset by the reaction when she was shown on the jumbotron.
King, who was drafted by Krause in 1989, won three titles with the Bulls from 1991-93 and now does color commentary for the team, was among the first to address the fans’ behavior.
“We just had a remarkable ceremony, bringing back the legends and I’m telling you what,” King said. “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. Whoever booed her in this arena should be ashamed of themselves… that was really classless and I was disappointed in the people that booed.”
Kerr, who also won three titles with the Bulls from 1996-98, and was honored as part of the 1996 squad, had a similar reaction during his press conference following the Warriors’ 140-131 win.
“I didn’t hear it, I was in the locker room, but somebody just told me about it and it’s shameful. It’s absolutely shameful,” Kerr said. “I cannot believe. I’m devastated for Thelma, for the Krause family. What can we possibly be thinking. I cannot believe that… the fans who booed, they know who they are. To me, it’s absolutely shameful, and I’m devastated by that.”
Krause, who passed away in 2017, was the Bulls’ general manager from 1985-2003, and credited with building their 1990s dynasty, which won six titles. He was named NBA Executive of the Year in 1988 and 1996, and posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Despite the success, his relationship with key figures on those teams, including Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, was fraught. Many fans also blame him for tearing everything down after the 1998 title, and he was not portrayed well during “The Last Dance,” the 2020 documentary centering on Jordan and that final season.
