Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan couldn’t attend this weekend’s ceremony to honor former Blackhawks star Chris Chelios, but he still tried to make it up to his longtime friend.
Jordan was scheduled to make a rare public appearance at the ceremony hosted at United Center in Chicago, where the Blackhawks planned to retire Chelios’s No. 7 jersey before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The NBA great ended up missing the event due to a death in his family, the details of which are unknown. Instead, Jordan sent a video message displayed on the jumbotron in which he appeared to be on a golf course as he spoke glowing words about the Blackhawks’ defenseman.
Jordan’s and Chelios’s friendship goes back to their playing days in Chicago in the ‘90s, when Jordan was winning rings with the Bulls and Chelios was winning Norris Trophies with the Blackhawks.
Jordan’s absence comes over a month after he skipped the Bulls’ Ring of Honor ceremony due to rumored tensions with his former teammate, Scottie Pippen.
Even without the NBA icon in attendance, Blackhawks fans made sure Chelios felt the love during Sunday’s ceremony as they chanted “Cheli!” before the game.
The Blackhawks legend won three Stanley Cups in his 26-year career and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. He is the ninth player to have his number retired by the franchise.
