Chicago Sun-Times launches ‘Chicago Six-Times’ podcast on 1990s Bulls

The “Chicago Six-Times” cover after the Bulls’ sixth championship win in 1998. | Sun-Times files

On Saturday, sports fans can begin learning even more about Michael Jordan, the 1990s Chicago Bulls and the greatest era in NBA history.

“Chicago Six-Times,” a new podcast from the Chicago Sun-Times by sports columnist Rick Telander and entertainment critic Richard Roeper, offers a deeper look at the stories in the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance.” Each week, Telander and Roeper will recap the latest episodes and offer additional insights into the storylines they witnessed in person as journalists during the Bulls’ six championship runs.

The Bulls became a cultural phenomenon, and though Roeper wasn’t a sports writer, he covered the team from the perspective of a general interest news and pop culture columnist.

Telander was among a select group of sports journalists who followed every move of Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and their teammates throughout their careers.

Telander is one of three current or former Sun-Times sports staffers — the others are “Rare Air” author Mark Vancil and J.A. Adande — featured in the first two episodes of the docuseries, which was viewed by 6.1 million people during its debut on Sunday. That already makes it the most-watched ESPN documentary of all time, with eight more episodes still to air.

With Roeper’s keen eye for cinematic storytelling and Telander’s deep knowledge of the Bulls, Chicago Six-Times offers listeners a comprehensive postgame analysis of every episode of The Last Dance.

Their first podcast recapping the first two episodes will debut on Saturday morning, April 25. Future Chicago Six-Times episodes will be recorded after “The Last Dance” airs each Sunday on ESPN. Listeners can download or stream episodes at suntimes.com/chicago-six-times or wherever they get their podcasts.

Roeper, a Sun-Times contributor since 1987, is the author of seven books and the former co-host of “Ebert & Roeper and the Movies.” He also is the film critic for ABC7’s “Windy City Live” and a regular contributor to “The Roe Conn Show” on WGN-AM (720).

Telander, a former Northwestern University football player, joined the Sun-Times in 1995 after working for Sports Illustrated. He is the author of eight books, including “Heaven Is a Playground” and “From Red Ink to Roses.” Former President Barack Obama — himself a Bulls fan — in 2005 proclaimed “Heaven Is a Playground” “the best basketball book I’ve ever read.”

Richard Roeper

Rick Telander