Stacey King, 3-time NBA champion with Chicago Bulls and later beloved broadcaster, dies at 59
Stacey King, who played on the first three NBA Champion Chicago Bulls teams with Michael Jordan in the 1990s, has died.
The Bulls announced King's death on Sunday. King, more recently a beloved Bulls broadcaster, was 59.
The 6-foot 11-inch King was born Jan. 29, 1967, in Lawton, Oklahoma, and attended Lawton High School. He played for the University of Oklahoma, where he was a first-team All-American and where he helped lead the Sooners to the NCAA championship in 1988, though they went on to lose to Kansas.
and was selected at No. 6 by the Bulls in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft.
King, a power forward, played on the first three NBA Champion Chicago Bulls teams in the 1990-91, 1991-92, and 1992-93 seasons — alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, and B.J. Armstrong, among other icons.
King was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1994 for center Luc Longley. At the time, King a had career averages of 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds, published reports noted.
King also played for the Miami Heat in the 1995-96 season, and played a few games for the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks in the 1996-98 season.
King went on to serve as coach of the Continental Basketball Association's Rockford Lightning in 2001.
Beginning in 2006, he switched gears to broadcasting for the Bulls on Comcast SportsNet. Later switching to the Chicago Sports Network, King became beloved as a studio analyst.
Bulls owner and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf issued a statement in King's memory reading in part: "Stacey King was a cherished member of the Bulls family and one of the truly unique personalities in our organization's history. His connection to Chicago, the Bulls and our fans spanned more than three decades — first as a player and later as the unmistakable voice helped bring Bulls basketball into the homes of generations of fans."
Chicago Sports Network president and chief executive officer Michael McCarthy said in a statement in part: "Stacey King was one of the most beloved figures in Chicago sports. As a three-time NBA champion, he helped build the legacy of the Chicago Bulls. As a broadcaster, he brought that same passion, authenticity, and unmistakable personality into the homes of fans for nearly two decades.
"Stacey had a unique ability to connect generations of Bulls fans. Whether through his basketball insight, his humor, or his unforgettable calls, he made every game more enjoyable and every broadcast better."
