"YOU'RE BULLS PROPERTY NOW, AND WE TELL YOU WHAT TO DO" - THE ROOT OF MICHAEL JORDAN'S FEUD WITH JERRY KRAUSE
Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls enjoyed arguably one of the greatest runs in NBA history. Yet, his relationship with GM Jerry Krause, who created the Bulls' dynasty, wasn't right from the get-go. While there have been plenty of instances when MJ and Krause held contrasting opinions, the root of their conflict can be traced back to a singular moment early in Jordan's career.
Krause's message to Jordan
Mike's rise to basketball stardom was meteoric. From hitting the NCAA Championship game-winning shot as a freshman to earning two College Player of the Year titles and winning the Olympic gold medal for the country in 1984, Jordan had done it all.
The same was the case once he got to the NBA, as the Bulls legend averaged 28.2 points per game to win the Rookie of the Year award in 1985.
However, after a fairytale rookie campaign, MJ's sophomore year took a drastic turn when he broke his foot in the third game of the season. Despite the 6'6" shooting guard wanting to play through the pain, the Bulls' management, including Krause, was adamant about preventing a more severe injury. However, Mike returned for the last stretch of the regular season.
"This kid has had his butt kissed by everybody in the world except his parents and me," Krause said. "If we listened to him, we'd have Buzz Peterson on the team! My goal is not to be his friend."
MJ was bothered by Krause's tone
While every general manager needs to be firm and straightforward with their players, Krause's way of telling Jordan what to do hurt the legendary guard the most.
"For Jordan, it wasn't just what Krause said, it was also the way he said it - coldly," Rick Telander explained Jordan's perspective. "He said, 'You're Bulls property now, and we tell you what to do.' (Jordan said). I was a young, enthusiastic kid, and that just made me realize this was a business, not a game. We never hit it off after that.'"
From that very moment, Mike never shied away from showing his disdain to and for Krause. From labeling Jerry as 'crumbs' to publicly making it clear that he didn't extend the invitation to Krause for his Hall of Fame induction, Jordan, much like Jerry, was resolute in achieving success on his terms and never forgot those who opposed him.
That said, Mike didn't do it alone. And even though he credits his teammates and the rest of the Bulls organization for helping him win six NBA champions, Jordan never gave Krause the credit he deserved.
2024-06-30T23:03:42Z dg43tfdfdgfd
