New York Knicks’ President of Basketball Operations and former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson issued a touching statement upon the death of his former colleague, Jerry Krause.
In part, the statement reads “it was no secret that [Krause] built the dynasty in Chicago.”
The following is a statement from Knicks President Phil Jackson on the passing of Jerry Krause: pic.twitter.com/LI7UApKypL
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) March 21, 2017
This is notable because Jackson and Krause had a notably toxic relationship, especially toward the end of Jackson’s time in Chicago.
Before the 1997-98 season, after the Bulls had already won two titles in a row and five under Jackson, Krause would only sign the coach to a one-year deal. He emphasized to the media that Jackson would not be retained no matter what and reportedly didn’t speak to Jackson from the end of that season to 2011, when assistant coach Tex Winter was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
This statement indicates that the two patched up their differences, or that Jackson at least remembers Krause fondly. It’s nice to see that there was mutual respect between them until the end.