Chicago Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf just announced his retirement.
Pippen, Michael, Jordan, and Scottie Avert the Ring of Honor Ceremony for the BullsIt was a startling failure on the part of the Chicago Bulls to commemorate the formation of a Ring of Honor with the two greatest players in the franchise’s history.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were not present during the event on Thursday. In a video message, Jordan expressed regret for his absence and expressed gratitude to the Reinsdorf family.
Chicago Bulls, @chicagobulls
Michael Jordan already issued this message to our Ring of
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said that he had no idea how much effort had gone into convincing Jordan and Pippen to attend the function.
“I honestly don’t know how much work went into it,” Reinsdorf said. Although it would be ideal if everyone could be there, we knew that this was not going to happen. I believe Michael may have taped something.
For Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors at the United Center, the club hopes Dennis Rodman will be present, Cowley continued. Rodman was “a surprising no-show” on Thursday, despite the original expectation that he would attend.
The Bulls’ president and CEO, Michael Reinsdorf, attempted to defend Jordan and Pippen’s nonattendance at the event by mentioning that the inaugural class of the Ring of Honor had just recently been unveiled.
“We published it six weeks ago, so I would be pleased for everyone to come,” said Michael Reinsdorf. “We’re excited about it because it’s a small way for us to appreciate the staff and athletes, and we recognize that some individuals have scheduling difficulties.”
One would think they would try to arrange schedules with the two players most crucial to the team’s six NBA titles before publicizing the celebration.
Of course, it’s also feasible that Jordan and/or Pippen continue to have unfavorable opinions about the group’s members. There is much documentation of Jordan and Jerry Reinsdorf’s history of conflicts.
Pippen didn’t seem too upset when he was fired from the Bulls organization in 2020, where he was a senior advisor.
Star power was evident at the Ring of Honor ceremony. Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, Ron Harper, Toni Kuko, and Phil Jackson were there.
The entire 1995–96 team, which set an NBA record with 72 regular-season victories, was one of the first recipients of the Ring of Honor.
