It’s hard to call it a ring when the two biggest pieces of the circle were absent.
Still, the festivities for the inaugural Ring of Honor pressed on for the Bulls Thursday night, despite no Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in attendance.
Dennis Rodman was also an unexpected no show at the gala, but the hope was the Hall of Fame rebounder would make it to the halftime festivities when the Bulls host the Warriors on Friday.
Even so, Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was hoping for a better turnout for the players and staff that were inducted, as well as the 1995-96 championship team that was also honored. At least a turnout that would have included the two main foundation pieces of the dynasty.
Reinsdorf was asked about the effort to bring both Jordan and Pippen in and said, “I actually don’t know how much effort went into it. Obviously, it would be better if everybody were here, but we knew going in not everybody could be here. I believe Michael recorded something.”
Jordan did just that, and his video message was played during the dinner in which he said several times that he was “bummed” he couldn’t be there.
He thanked the Reinsdorfs for the honor and also congratulated all his former teammates, but there’s no doubt there was a huge hole in the evening.
Make that two.
While former coaching legend Phil Jackson – who did make it in – did his best to continue building the bridge back between Jordan and the organization, according to a source, the Pippen situation remains a much tougher fix.
The six-time champion was fired from his ambassador/advisor role back in 2020, and while the organization did try to mend the hard feelings and get Pippen in town it was a no-go in the end.
“I would be excited for everyone to come, but we announced it six weeks ago,” president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said. “People have schedule issues and so this is just our way of saying thank you to the players and the staff, so that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Jerry Reinsdorf has always taken the mentality that the show must go on, and so it did. There was a red-carpet area before the gala started, a dinner, and then Michael Reinsdorf did the welcoming speech as well as explained the idea behind the Ring of Honor and what it meant for the organization.
“It’s something that we’re really proud of,” Michael Reinsdorf said. “Having all the guys come back, seeing guys like Ron Harper, Luc Longley, and Toni (Kukoc) here. It’s a big part of our history. We won six championships in eight years, and these players, the staff members that are here, Phil Jackson coming back, it means so much to the Chicago Bulls, but it also means so much to our fans.”
Steve Kerr stole the show, as he took the stage with broadcaster Adam Amin to introduce Kukoc, Rodman, Jordan and Pippen.
The Warriors coach had stories about each, as well as talking about their importance in the history of basketball.
But Jerry Reinsdorf shared his fondest memory with the media beforehand.
“Every one of these guys that are here played a significant role in this franchise and it’s good to see people you haven’t seen in a long time,” Reinsdorf said. “I just wish Jerry Krause was alive and he could be here.
“The best memory I will ever have is the shot (Jordan made) on (Craig) Ehlo (in the 1989 against the Cavs) because that’s really what started everything off. I remember being in whatever the name of the arena was (Richfield Coliseum) with Jerry Krause and Karen Stack, and Michael made that shot. The three of us started hugging each other and jumping up and down. Then all of a sudden I remembered where we were. I said, ‘Jerry, we gotta get the hell out of here.’ Cleveland fans are usually not the most hospitable.”