After winning three NBA titles as a forward for the Chicago Bulls alongside Jordan in the ’90s, Stacey King went on to become the franchise’s beloved color commentator, a role he held for nearly 20 years until his tragic passing at the age of 59 in June after suffering a fall in his home.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that the Chicago Bulls announce that Stacey King passed away on Sunday at the age of 59. Stacey was a deeply beloved member of the Bulls family whose connection to this organization and city of Chicago spanned more than three decades,” the Bulls said in a statement upon the news of King’s death.
On Friday, Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel and Michael McCarthy reported on CHSN’s ensemble plan to replace King on the network’s telecasts.
Per Glasspiegel and McCarthy, the Bulls will use a yet to be finalized rotating cast of analysts in the color commentator role this season. Robbie Hummel, who has previously filled in to call games for the Bulls, is in consideration for the cast, along with other faces that would be familiar to Bulls fans, sources told FOS.
Pairing play-by-play voice Adam Amin with a rotating cast allows fans to ease into hearing a voice other than King’s, and lessens the burden on someone to live up to the high standard set by the late fan favorite. It also gives Bulls brass a prolonged opportunity to gauge who might be best suited to slot in next to Amin in a more permanent role.
Stacey King initially joined Chicago Bulls television broadcasts in 2004 as an analyst for pre- and post-game shows. Later that season, he began to fill in as a game commentator before becoming a mainstay in the booth in 2007. Whoever does end up replacing him will have quite the task in front of them in living up to his memorable and energetic calls, penchant for nicknames, and ability to meet the moment during broadcasts, but the Bulls appear to have the right plan in place to make sure the right candidate is found.
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