'Cherished' Bulls player and ex-Michael Jordan teammate dies

Mon 8 Jun 2026 at 9:12am

Mon 8 Jun 2026 at 9:12am

In short:

Chicago Bulls NBA Championship winner Stacey King has died at the age of 59.

King won NBA titles with the Bulls in the 1990s.

He enjoyed a post-retirement career as a broadcast with the Bulls.

Stacey King, who won three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and was a longtime broadcaster for the team, has died.

King was 59. No cause of death was given.

He was a first-round draft ‌pick, number six overall, selected by the Bulls in 1989 out of the University of Oklahoma.

King won the first of three consecutive NBA titles with the ‌Michael Jordan-led team in the 1990/91 season.

"Stacey King was a cherished member ⁠of the Bulls family and one of the ‌truly unique personalities in our organisation's history," Bulls ‌chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.

"His connection to Chicago, the Bulls and our fans spanned more than three decades, first as a player and later as the unmistakable voice that helped ‌bring Bulls basketball into the homes of generations of fans."

Chicago Sports Network president and chief executive, Michael McCarthy, called King "one of the most beloved figures in Chicago sports".

"Stacey had a unique ability to connect generations of Bulls fans," McCarthy said.

"Whether through his basketball insight, his humour, or his unforgettable calls, he made every game more enjoyable and every broadcast better."

King averaged 6.4 points with ⁠3.3 rebounds over 438 games (63 starts) ‌from 1989-97.

In addition ‌to playing with the Bulls, King also ‌appeared for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.

King joined the Bulls broadcast team ‌in 2006 as studio ⁠analyst before becoming colour commentator in 2008.

Reuters