There's no denying that former Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause has emerged as one of the primary antagonists in “The Last Dance.” From the beginning, Krause has been portrayed as the main driving force that broke up the dynasty in Chicago.
Recently, however, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago got his hands on excerpts from Krause's unpublished memoir. In this latest one, the former top executive revealed how he and Michael Jordan actually shared more than a few similarities, despite their highly publicized differences:
Personally, despite our problems off the court, he was great to deal with on the court, where it counts. He wanted to win as much as I did, and we both were driven by winning again and again, looking for any edge to keep it going. Despite his quote about “my supporting cast” early in his career, he knew deep down that no individual was good enough to win in this game without being on a team that could win.
According to Krause, he and Jordan shared an unparalleled desire to win, which was born out of an unmatched competitive spirit. Indeed, they won six championships together with the Bulls.
Toward the end of the lengthy excerpt, Krause concluded by saying that despite what people may think — perhaps Jordan himself included — he is certain that they were a match made in heaven:
Were we good for one another? I think we turned out to be a great match. We were both stubborn, strong-willed competitors, proud of our ability and wanting to carve out our own niche in the game’s hierarchy.
Krause passed away on March 21, 2017 at the age of 77. For all his contributions to the sport, he was posthumously inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2017 class.
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