April 04--In an interview with ESPN shortly after the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame opened its doors for him, Jerry Reinsdorf agreed with Scottie Pippen's recent boast that the 1995-96 Bulls would beat this year's Warriors in a playoff series.
Translated: There's a little competitiveness underneath that business acumen, which is partly why Reinsdorf is headed to Springfield, Mass., for a September enshrinement ceremony via the contributor committee.
"It is a very humbling honor to be selected as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame," Reinsdorf said in a statement. "Making the Hall of Fame has long been considered the top individual honor that one can achieve in any sport, but for me, I feel it is a culmination of all the input and effort afforded me from so many other people over the years that put me in this position today. It's an exciting honor and a day I won't soon forget."
Reinsdorf is joined in the Class of 2016 by Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming, Sheryl Swoopes, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, longtime official Darell Garretson, John McLendon, Zelmo Beaty and Cumberland Posey.
Reinsdorf headed an ownership group that bought the Bulls in March 1985. During his tenure as Bulls chairman, the franchise has won six NBA championships and -- thanks to previous Hall of Fame inductees Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson -- became one of the world's most recognizable sporting brands.
The Bulls have produced six MVP awards (five for Jordan and one for Derrick Rose), three Rookie of the Year winners, three Executive of the Year honorees and two Coach of the Year winners during Reinsdorf's run. They also have led the NBA in attendance 10 times.
"I'm happy for Jerry," said former general manager Jerry Krause, who represented one of Reinsdorf's first hires and one of the Executive of the Year awards. "He's a great owner and a great person. He's the most loyal person I know."
Krause said one trait that made Reinsdorf a good owner is hiring the right people and letting them do their jobs.
"We had a shared plan," Krause said. "And he let me do what I had to do. He didn't interfere."
Reinsdorf, who also has been heavily involved in charitable work during his tenure, detailed that plan in a recent interview with the Tribune.
"I had a vision of how basketball should be played. And the vision was the Knicks teams that won the championship in 1970 and 1973," Reinsdorf said in a phone interview last month. "I wanted a team that emphasized defense. I wanted a team that on offense had a system where players moved off the ball and the ball moved. The way (Krause) thought you built a winning team was exactly what I wanted to do."
Krause took the high road when asked about being bypassed again. He and Johnny "Red" Kerr, the franchise's first coach and longtime broadcaster, also were finalists in the contributor category that elected Reinsdorf.
In fact, Krause said Reinsdorf was more upset about Krause's omission than he was.
"He called me and said I should be in there," Krause said. "The record speaks for itself."
