Former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, the architect of Chicago’s roster during Michael Jordan‘s tenure with the franchise, passed away this afternoon, a member of his family informed K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Krause was 77 years old.
Krause, who took over as the Bulls’ GM in 1985, held that position for the next 18 years, winning six championships with the club during the 1990s. Krause, who worked in baseball before his time in the NBA, returned to Major League Baseball following his departure from the Bulls, working as a team scout for a handful of MLB teams.
As Johnson notes (via Twitter), Krause is currently a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame in the contributor category. If Krause is inducted into the Hall of Fame, it will happen posthumously.
We send our condolences and best wishes to Krause’s family and friends.
Crazy guy but give him a lot of credit. Acquired Pippen, Grant, Harper, and Rodman among others and brought in Phil to coach.
Rodman for will perdue goes down as a great trade for the bulls and got them 3 more rings
And 2 other GM’s passed on Mike!!
Krause did not draft Jordan.