Stacey King died at 59 on Sunday, and michael wilbon’s readers are left with the loss of a former Chicago Bulls champion who became one of the team’s most familiar broadcast voices. The Bulls said King died Sunday, and the medical examiner’s office said he was found dead at his River Forest home Sunday morning.
Chicago Bulls Remember King
King spent more than three decades tied to Chicago through the Bulls, first as a three-time NBA champion and later as a fan-favorite on the broadcast team. Jerry Reinsdorf called him “a cherished member of the Bulls family and one of the truly unique personalities in our organization's history.”
Reinsdorf also said King’s “connection to Chicago, the Bulls and our fans spanned more than three decades -- first as a player and later as the unmistakable voice that helped bring Bulls basketball into the homes of generations of fans...”
Voices From Chicago Sports
Chicago Sports Network President and CEO Michael McCarthy said King “was one of the most beloved figures in Chicago sports.” He added that, “As a three-time NBA champion, he helped build the legacy of the Chicago Bulls.” McCarthy said King brought “passion, authenticity, and unmistakable personality into the homes of fans for nearly two decades.”
Jim Rose called King “one of the greatest basketball analysts that I've ever heard in my long career, and he will be missed,” while also saying he was “one of the nicest people you ever want to meet.” Rose said King always wanted to leave people better than he found them and told young broadcasters, “Just be yourself,” which he said was exactly what King was.
River Forest Home Search
Ike White, one of King’s friends, said the news hit hard because the two had made plans for the summer. “Not too long ago, I talked to him, and we had made plans for the summer. We were gonna go have shrimp and just have a good summer. Then, this morning, I was driving, and his son called and told me that Stacey had passed. And that was totally unexpected,” White said.
White said he had known King for 30 years and added, “Friends 30 years, and just like that, unexpected. It's shocking. I'm hurting... Just to see his son crying like that, and there's nothing you can do.” He also said, “Anytime I talked to him we ended with I love you and not to be able to say that anymore that hurts.”
The medical examiner’s office said a head autopsy is needed to determine the cause of death. That leaves the immediate facts centered on King’s death at 59, his River Forest home, and the tributes from the Bulls, his friends and the broadcast voices who worked alongside him.
