Arguably, the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan had one of the best runs in NBA history. However, things weren’t right between him and general manager Jerry Krause, who started the Bulls’ dynasty. Although there have been many occasions on which Jordan and Krause have disagreed, their disagreement can be traced back to a single event that occurred early in Jordan’s career.
Jordan’s rise to stardom
Mike had a quick ascent to basketball stardom. Jordan had accomplished everything, including winning two College Player of the Year titles, the Olympic gold medal for his nation in 1984, and the game-winning shot that won the NCAA Championship as a freshman. This success continued into his time in the NBA, where the legendary Bulls player won Rookie of the Year in 1985 with an average of 28.2 points per game.
What did Krause say?
But following a picture-perfect rookie season, Michael Jordan’s sophomore campaign was drastically altered when he suffered a foot injury in the season’s third game. The 6’6″ shooting guard was willing to play through the discomfort, but Krause and the Bulls’ management were determined to keep the injury from getting worse. However, Mike came back for the final few games of the regular season.
Krause said, “This kid has had his butt kissed by everybody in the world except his parents and me. If we listened to him, we’d have Buzz Peterson on the team! My goal is not to be his friend.”
MJ didn’t like Krause’s tone
Rick Telander said, “For Jordan, it wasn’t just what Krause said, it was also how he said it – coldly. He said, ‘You’re Bulls property now, and we tell you what to do.’ (Jordan said). I was a young, enthusiastic kid, which made me realize this was a business, not a game. We never hit it off after that.'”
Mike never held back when it came to expressing his contempt for Krause. Like Jerry, Jordan was determined to succeed on his terms and never forgot those who disagreed. He went so far as to call Jerry “crumbs” and openly stated that he did not invite Krause to his Hall of Fame ceremony.