Michael Jordan‘s early days in the NBA were quite frustrating ones. Despite being an immediate sensation in the league, the Chicago Bulls legend had to wait seven years to win his first-ever championship. The Bulls lacked the support Jordan needed during his initial years, which resulted in the team being consistently eliminated in the playoffs. During the phase of frustrations, MJ targeted the Bulls management publicly to get the players he wanted on the team. However, the lack of understanding from former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause forced Jordan to criticize him in the media. Following MJ’s berating Krause publicly, the billionaire Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf decided to take the matter into his own hands.
Michael Jordan and Jerry Krause did not have the best of relationships. The duo often found themselves at opposite ends of a discussion, causing differences. Back in the day, Michael Jordan was not too happy with a trade move from Krause that resulted in an explosion from the Bull’s GOAT.
Michael Jordan lashed out a Jerry Krause in public
As per Sam Smith’s 1991 book The Jordan Rules, Michael Jordan and co. were at the Bryne Arena when the news about a new trade deal was announced. However, Jordan was left displeased by the decision and claimed he would talk to the Bulls owner Reinsdorf as soon as he returned to Chicago. MJ felt Krause had ‘messed’ up and was incapable of making the right choices. Moreover, the six-time NBA champ was unhappy that the Bulls’ front office could not get players like LaSalle Thompson and Walter Davis on the roster. Jordan also claimed that the Bulls could not make the right trade decision due to Krause.
Further, Michael Jordan stated, “I’m going to tell Reinsdorf when I get back that it’s either me or him. If he wants to keep Krause, fine, I’ll tell him to trade me. But this is it. It’s got to stop here.”
MJ was so frustrated that he pressured the Bulls’ management by threatening to leave if Reinsdorf did not do something about Jerry Krause. When asked about the Bulls missing out on Walter Davis, Jordan ended up berating Krause in the media.
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The 14-time All-Star stated, “If I were general manager, we’d be a better team.” Jordan’s statement against Krause was all over the media, who talked about the rift between the Bulls legend and former general manager, causing concerns for Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Reinsdorf promised to handle the situation
As per the book, the statement from Jordan led to a lot of backlash towards Jerry Krause. The former general manager returned to Reinsdorf and was left in tears while talking about the situation. With no choice left, Reinsdorf assured Krause that he would take action against MJ. According to the book, “Reinsdorf told Krause he was not about to get into a war with Jordan, that he would handle it his own way.”
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The $1.7 billion worth Reinsdorf tried to cool off the rift between Krause and MJ by deciding to handle the situation with his wisdom.
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