It was supposed to be a night to celebrate the Bulls organization for the accomplishments they made. However, the Ring of Honor ceremony became controversial, to say the least.

First, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the one-two punch that led them to six NBA championships during the 1990s, did not make it to the occasion. Making matters worse, Bulls fans booed former GM Jerry Krause’s widow in a poor display of character. Then, to top it off, team owner Jerry Reinsdorf took a subtle shot at MJ’s absence.

“The only way the night could be better would be if Jerry Krause were there,” said the Bulls’ longtime owner.

Reinsdorf implied that Krause was more important than Jordan

For sure, the Bulls’ inaugural Ring of Honor ceremony would have been complete had everyone been there. But on a night where Jordan, Pippen, and Krause were not there, it couldn’t have been a mistake that the elder Reinsdorf only mentioned the former GM when the three of them were the most important persons during the Bulls’ six-title run during the 1990s.

By saying what he said, Jerry Reinsdorf implied that Jerry Krause was more important than Michael Jordan. Yes, there’s no question that it was Krause who assembled the Dynasty team and gave Jordan the supporting cast he needed to win championship after championship. But we all know that nothing would have happened without MJ.

Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. He took the Bulls from the ashes and turned them into one of the most dominant teams in the history of the NBA. Because he could not make it, Jordan spoke via a taped message. While Jordan didn’t say why he didn’t come, everybody knows his relationship with Reinsdorf was as tainted as his connection with Krause

Michael Jordan was bitter at Jerry Reinsdorf

We don’t need to look too far in their history to paint a picture of the relationship between owner and star player. After winning their fourth championship, Reinsdorf was reluctant to pay Jordan his worth. When he finally agreed to give MJ the $30 million deal, he disrespected Michael by telling him straight in his face that he (Reindsdorf ) would live to regret the decision. Of course, the best basketball player in the world did not like that.

“Michael is bitter at Jerry,” a Bulls employee later explained, “because when Jerry agreed to pay him the $30 million, Jerry told Michael that he would regret it. Michael stood in the training room one day the next fall and told all his teammates, ‘You know what really pissed me off? Jerry said, ‘You know what, Michael? I’m gonna live to regret this,’” Author Roland Lazenby wrote in the book Michael Jordan: The Life.

The Chicago Bulls are one of the most successful NBA franchises of all time. But behind the success, plenty was going on. To say the least, their dynasty was tumultuous, especially at the end. Still, they should’ve put their differences aside and celebrated the Ring of Honor with their fans and the city, but then again, that’s probably easier said than done.