The Bulls inducted their inaugural Ring of Honor class Friday night, which featured the 1995-96 team that included Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, along with 13 men, including Phil Jackson, Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Bob Love, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, Tex Winter and Jerry Krause.
Krause was the general manager who put those teams together, but is often remembered as the man who broke up the Bulls dynasty. Michael Jordan's "The Last Dance" documentary did him no favors.
But Bulls fans took it a step too far Friday night, of the eventual 140-131 Warriors win.
When Krause's name was announced during the halftime ceremony, some fans booed.
The screens showed an image of Krause, who died in 2017, before cutting to his widow, Thelma, who attended in his stead. She was clearly emotional. It was an awful, heart-wrenching moment.
Kerr addressed the ugly situation after the game, expressing frustration and disappointment at the reaction. He said he was in the locker room at the time of the ceremony, so he did not hear the boos.
"It's shameful. It's absolutely shameful," Kerr said. "I cannot believe — I'm devastated for Thelma and for the Krause family. What can we possibly be thinking?
"I cannot believe that the fans — and you have to understand, when you hear boos, it's not all of them. So the fans who booed, they know who they are, and that's, to me, it's absolutely shameful, and I'm devastated by that.
"Because it's just — what are we doing? Whether people liked Jerry or not, whether they disagreed with the decision to move on from — whatever, like, we're here to celebrate that team.
"Jerry did an amazing job building that team. Tonight and last night was all about the joy and the love that that team shared with the city, and I'm so disappointed in the fans. And I want to be specific, because there were lots of fans I'm sure who did not boo. But those who booed, they should be ashamed."
It was such an unfortunate reaction that it prompted a statement from Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf, who said the following to NBC Sports Chicago:
"Jerry Krause is a six-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Executive of the Year. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments and is an important part of our history," Reinsdorf said. "His legacy deserves to be celebrated and respected. We were incredibly honored to have Thelma with us this evening to recognize Jerry as a member of the inaugural Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor."
Former player and Bulls broadcaster Stacey King of NBC Sports Chicago shared a similar sentiment, calling it "the worst thing I've ever seen in my life."