A few years ago, there was a documentary called “The Last Dance” on ESPN / Netflix.


It was billed as the story of the 1998 Chicago Bulls. It was their last year of a decade-long run as a dynasty that dominated the 1990s NBA.


What The Last Dance really was, was a Michael Jordan documentary that used the Bulls as a backdrop. Which, for sports fans, was even better.


You don’t need to know sports to know who Michael Jordan is (see episode #1217 of Work On Your Game MasterClass if you need context); the “accomplishments” listing on his Wikipedia page is exhausting to read. If you don’t know much about MJ, know this: the man was (is?) homicidally competitive. It was the main thing — even more than his skill and talent — that drove his achievements.


There was a character in The Last Dance who garnered many conflicting opinions because of how he was portrayed (MJ had final say on what went in the doc).


Thai was the Chicago Bulls’ General Manager at the time, Jerry Krause.


In simple terms, professional sports General Managers (GMs) are in charge of personnel decisions.


They make decisions about which players to have on the team. Who the coach will be. When to make trades. Who to draft out of the amateur ranks.


GMs “shop for the groceries,” so to speak, that the coaches and players make the meals with.


Though he came into the fold after Jordan was already there, Jerry Krause helped find and acquire the foundational supporting pieces that made the Bulls what they became. Every player and coach who was around Michael Jordan were identified, sought after and brought on by Jerry Krause.


Michael Jordan hated Jerry Krause. For several reasons,


For one, Krause was never an athlete and never tried to identify with the players.


He was fat, unkempt, socially awkward and had no charisma. In other words, he was the opposite of Michael Jordan.


Jordan referred to Krause as “Crumbs” because Krause often has crumbs from his doughnuts on his shirt collars and suit lapels. When Krause would board the team bus, Jordan would make moo-ing noises (like a cow) to ridicule Krause.


Second, Krause was a numbers and analytics guy — not a feel / relationship guy.


He made his decisions not based on who he liked or had relationships with, but on what made logical and rational sense. Again — the exact opposite of Michael Jordan’s approach (which we witnessed in MJ’s stint as a GM and team owner after his playing days).


Third — and most egregiously (at least to MJ) — Krause wanted more credit for the Bulls’ success.


Krause had an ego, as all humans do. As the Bulls’ success accumulated, Krause asserted that the Bulls organization — not just the players — were responsible for the championships.


To me, this was Krause’s fatal flaw.


Had he not pined for this credit, he would’ve gotten it anyway. His desire to call for it drove a wedge between him and the players / coaching staff.


Further, Krause was sometimes too smart for his own good.


As the Bulls approached the 1997-98 season, which would be the last of their championship run, Krause already had his eyes on the future.


The Bulls had won the last two NBA championships in dominant fashion, and had won the last FIVE championships with Jordan on board for a full season. Any smart person, you’d think, would just ride this wave until it stopped.



Jerry Krause had other plans.


He told coach Phil Jackson that, no matter how well the Bulls did in the upcoming season, he was not coming back to coach the team.


Why this was a problem: Michael Jordan had a deep affinity for Phil Jackson and did not want to play for any other coach. Krause was undeterred. Thus, this season was christened “The Last Dance” as a theme.


Long story short: The Bulls won the 1998 championship, again. That offseason, the team was dismantled. Jordan retired. The Bulls sucked for the next decade. Krause’s “future” plans didn’t work out so well.


This was mostly forgotten by time, save for hardcore hoops fans. Until that Last Dance documentary came out in 2020.


Remember: MJ controlled the content of the doc. He hated Krause.


Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2009. As he acknowledged friends and teammates in attendance, he noted, “Jerry Krause is here. I don’t know who invited him - I didn’t.”


LOL!!


While the Last Dance doc did give Krause credit for what he’d done, Jordan made it clear: The only reason I retired in 1998 was because Krause dismantled the team. We should’ve been allowed to keep playing until we were defeated. We were still on top. I never wanted to retire.


Michael Jordan has MANY more fans than Jerry Krause. This opened fresh wounds.


This brings us to the present day.


Jerry Krause died in 2017. In early 2024, the Bulls organization decided to have a commemoration ceremony to acknowledge those 1990s title teams.


While MJ couldn’t attend, he recorded a thank-you message for the fans. Krause’s widow, Thelma, attended in place of her husband.


When Jerry Krause was announced, and Thelma was shown on the big screen sitting in a box suite, the crowd loudly booed.


Thelma Krause was visibly upset and looked on the verge of tears.


Which I understand. Many sports opinionators bashed the “classlessness” of the booing fans.


I also understand the booing.


***



Sports is about winning.


The 90s Bulls were winning, a lot. Jerry Krause was the main reason the winning stopped. And the fans remember that. The Last Dance helped remind them.


The booing of Thelma Krause wasn’t about her. She was the representation of Jerry, the guy that the fans still won’t forgive. They were booing him, through her.


But she’s an old lady, and she was upset, and the scene looked kind of sad. Funny to me, but sad still.



All true.


I still respect and appreciate the booing.


Boos are the fans’ tool for communicating disappointment. They used it.


I’m sure it sucked for Thelma and the Krause family. But dammit, life is harsh.


If you don’t wanna get punched in the face, don’t step in a boxing ring.
If you don’t want dissenters, don’t offer any opinions.
If you don’t wanna get booed, don’t get on the stage.


Jerry Krause was on the stage. He wanted it known that he was there.


What happened to his widow is one of the trade offs.


If you want to be fully equipped, mentally and emotionally, for the harshness of the life YOU are stepping into, join me in Work On Your Game University so we can arm you with the “Bulletproof Mindset” as the first step in our process.


Start here: http://www.WorkOnYourGameUniversity.com
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