- Michael Jordan did not like Jerry Krause’s comment on organizations winning championships
- Jordan brought up his infamous flu game and the times when he played through injuries
- Jordan felt players win championships but acknowledged organization has a role to play in it
To say Michael Jordan and former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause didn’t get along would be an understatement. While the Bulls were dominating on the court during the 1990s by winning six championships, Jordan and Krause were clashing behind the scenes.
Even after Jordan retired, it was clear he still had some ill feelings toward Krause. During the Bulls icon’s Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009, he called out the former GM for his comment on organizations winning championships.
“He said, ‘Organizations win championships.’” Jordan said. “I said, ‘I didn’t see organization playing with the flu in Utah. I didn’t see them playing with the bad ankle.’ Granted I think organization put together teams, but at the end of the day, the team’s gotta go out and play.
“In essence, I think the players win the championship,” Jordan continued. “And the organizations has something to do with it, don’t get me wrong. But don’t try to put the organization above the players because, at the end of the day, the players still gotta go out there and perform.”
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Prior to this, Jordan had also stated that he didn’t know who invited Krause to the ceremony because he certainly didn’t. Krause did not attend the ceremony despite the invite and later claimed it was because Tex Winter hadn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Jordan is correct when he says that, ultimately, it is the players who win championships. They are the ones on the court, and unless they execute at the highest level in those big-pressure situations, you’re not going to win. Only the very special players are capable of it, too, as Jordan certainly was.
The “Flu Game” was a great example of that, as Jordan battled through illness to score 38 points in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. The Bulls narrowly won the contest 90-88 and went on to win the series in six games.
Jerry Krause Spoke About This Infamous Comment
Krause has very much been painted as the villain over the years, and the Last Dance documentary further added to that notion. Krause passed away in 2017, so he never had a chance to respond to the comments made there. He did have a chance to speak about this comment attributed to him years earlier, though, and claimed he had been misquoted.
“Well, as you know David, there was a misquote,” Krause said. “What I said was, ‘Players and coaches alone don’t win championships, organizations do.’ I do sincerely believe that organizations as a whole win. One part can’t win alone.
“The guy left the word alone out of there,” Krause continued. “And he admitted later on, ‘Oh yeah, I left a word out.’ Well you dumb son of a b****, that’s what killed the quote.”
If you do look at it from that perspective then you’d suppose it’s a fair comment. It takes everyone to win, with the players definitely being the most responsible. The only way they have a shot at winning, though, is if they get great coaching, and if the front office manages to put together a great team.
It doesn’t necessarily come across as Krause putting the organization over the players if what he said there was true. He seemed quite annoyed that Jordan had misquoted him, and you can understand why.
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