Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Kukoč all among first Bulls Ring of Honor class to be celebrated Friday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bulls are set to celebrate the inaugural class of their Ring of Honor during halftime in their game against the Golden State Warriors Friday.
A gala held was held Thursday ahead of the event. It had all the makings of a family reunion.
The first ring of honor class includes:
- Michael Jordan, the undisputed greatest of all time who needs no further introduction.
- Scottie Pippen, Jordan's sidekick on those championship-winning 1990s teams and a leader of team in his own right.
- Phil Jackson, the team's beloved head coach during their championship run.
- The late Jerry Sloan, an icon who played for the Bulls from 1966 to 1976 and later served as the Bulls' head coach.
- Bob "Butterbean" Love, a Bulls star in the late 1960s and 1970s.
- The late Jerry Krause, the general manager of the Bulls from 1985 until 2003.
- The late Johnny "Red" Kerr, the Bulls' first coach in 1966 who led them to the playoffs that year.
- Chet Walker, who played with the Bulls in the 60s and 70s and helped make them one of the NBA's most fearsome teams.
- Artis Gilmore, who played for the Bulls in the 70s and early 80s and was once known as the league's strongman.
- Dennis Rodman, that famously flamboyant rebound master who played alongside Jordan and Pippen for their last three 1990s championship runs.
- Toni Kukoč, the revered sixth man on those last three Bulls championship teams who was the leading scorer from the bench in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.
- The late Tex Winter, the famous assistant coach known for his practice of the triangle offense that led the bulls to six titles.
- The late Dick Klein, the original owners of the Bulls who played professional basketball himself.
The entire 1995-1996 Bulls team – which included honorees Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Kukoč, Coach Jackson and Assistant Coach Winter. The team set an NBA record of 72-10 along the way to the 1996 championship.
At a red-carpet ceremony ahead of the gala Thursday, we got to hear from some of those being honored.
"Now, we're so happy to be here – this is the most wonderful day of my life," said Love. "It's so good to be back home."
"It means a lot – I'm just glad to see all the guys," said Kukoč. "I haven't seen some of them for almost 20 years – maybe more than 20 years – but it's a special occasion."
"Every one of these guys that's here tonight played a significant role in this franchise, and it's good to see people you haven't seen for a long time," said Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. "I just wish Jerry Krause were alive and could be here."
"It's really amazing. I would have hated to have missed this, so the fact that the Bulls did it around our game is very flattering, and I'm thrilled that it happened this way," said Steve Kerr, a forward with the Bulls from 1993 until 1998 who is now the head coach of the Warriors.
"Wonderful to be back – I haven't been back in Chicago in 10 years, and before that another 10 years, so a lot of things have changed," said former Bulls center Luc Longley, who played on the last three title-winning teams in the 90s, "and a lot of my teammates look a bit different. We all look a bit different. But it's been fantastic."
Ron Harper, Bill Wennington, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, Dickey Simpkins, and Randy Brown were also among the 1995-1996 Bulls in attendance Thursday night -- along with Horace Grant and Will Perdue from the first three 90s championship teams. Mayor Brandon Johnson also stopped by.
Simpkins said he has stayed in touch with all of his former Bulls teammates, and added that "it does not seem that long ago" that they were winning championships together.
Jordan could not attend, but he posted a video.
"Man, I'm bummed I can't be there, but I will always be a Chicago Bull," Jordan said in the video, "and I want them to continually do well. I'd like to see other banners in the rafters, and I hope the city can always be proud of the Chicago Bulls."
