“It was wrong on so many levels…” Charles Barkley GOES OFF on ‘disgraceful’ Chicago Bulls event booing Jerry Krause’s wife to tears, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman’s absence

Charles Barkley had an issue with Jerry Krause being booed at the Chicago Bulls' Ring of Honor ceremony.

“It was wrong on so many levels…” Charles Barkley GOES OFF on ‘disgraceful’ Chicago Bulls event booing Jerry Krause’s wife to tears, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman’s absence

Jerry Krause and Charles Barkley. (Image via CNN, SI)

The Chicago Bulls recently held a Ring of Honor ceremony to effectively pay tribute to the plethora of legends that have played a part in making the historic franchise as significant as it is. The Bulls won a total of 6 NBA titles during the 1990s during the ownership of the late Jerry Krause, responsible for building the team which included the likes of Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and of course, Michael Jordan.

However, all three of the Bulls’ legends did not attend the event. That, however, was not true for Jerry Krause’s wife, Thelma Krause. Thelma was in attendance alongside a number of her grandkids but was moved to tears when she heard the Bulls’ fans loudly boo her husband. 

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Speaking in the aftermath of the event, Charles Barkley claimed that the Bulls’ fans were in the wrong:

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What those fans did to Mrs. Krause. That was not cool. We… everybody owe that old lady an apology. Whether you like Jerry Krause or not, that man’s dead – Rest in peace – his wife’s there and y’all made that lady cry and that was total BS.

Barkley went on to reveal that he was heartbroken after he saw Thelma crying during the event and blamed the likes of Rodman, Pippen, and Michael Jordan. Barkley said the following during the NBA on TNT segment:

That hurt my heart watching that thing. It was a complete disgrace to the legacy of the Chicago Bulls…First of all, I don’t even know why you’d put a hundred guys in a Ring of Honor anyway. That’s just stupid. Michael, and Scottie, and Dennis not showing up, that was wrong. It was wrong on so many levels.

Hence, while Barkley understands the reasons behind the criticism, he thought that there was no reason why Krause should have been booed, after his unfortunate death in 2017.

Jerry Krause was responsible for putting together the famous Chicago Bulls squad

While the Bulls’ fans were highly criticized, there are a number of reasons why Jerry Krause is a hated figure in Chicago despite his obvious contributions. A member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, Krause was inducted posthumously after his death in 2017.

Under his tenure, the Bulls won 6 NBA championships in 8 years, which came after Michael Jordan was initially drafted in 1984 by the organization, but had a range of problems with the owner. Krause was often accused of trying to ensure Jordan did not have a lot of control over the organization, and even once tried to trade him, back in 1989.

None of Jordan, Pippen or Rodman attended the Ring of Honor ceremony. (Image via Basketball Network)

What’s more, the owner was also known to have gotten into multiple altercations with his players over contract extensions and did not want to offer MJ the $30 million contract in 1996, which made the player the highest-paid in the NBA. Krause had apparently told Jordan that he was convinced he would regret offering it, something which obviously did not happen.

Hence, as a businessman looking to run the organization profitably, Krause often found himself going against his players, which resulted in constant criticism during his tenure as well. That seems to have carried over long after his death, as the recent incident showed.

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