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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Daniel Chavkin

NBA World Blasts Bulls Fans for Bringing Jerry Krause’s Widow to Tears

The Chicago Bulls inducted their inaugural, 13-member Ring of Honor class on Friday night, but the night will be remembered by some for the wrong reason. Former general manager Jerry Krause, who died in 2017, was one of the inductees for his role in building Chicago’s 1990s dynasty, but Bulls fans booed him during the ceremony, causing his widow, Thelma, to be visibly shaken.

Fans likely were blaming Krause for how the dynasty ended, in large part to how the late general manager was portrayed in the documentary series The Last Dance, but the NBA world collectively came to Krause’s defense. Indeed, Bulls broadcaster Stacey King criticized fans for the action during the game against the Golden State Warriors, and many observers around the NBA took to social media to express their disappointment. 

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who played five seasons for the Bulls during the Krause era, explained how disappointed he was by the episode as well.

Even current players were disappointed, as DeMar DeRozan mentioned how fans should be appreciative of the job that Krause did.

The Bulls have had a rough time in recent years, as they have only reached the playoffs twice since 2015, losing in the first round both times. Fans are clearly frustrated with the organization in many ways, and that frustration came out in an ugly moment Friday.

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