Stacey King, the Chicago Bulls champion and beloved broadcaster, died at 59 following a fall at home. Horace Grant, a Bulls legend and special advisor to Michael Reinsdorf, broke down in tears while speaking about the loss.
When Horace Grant started talking about Stacey King, he couldn’t hold it together.
Grant broke down in tears while reacting to King’s death, sharing that it was “one of the toughest moments of my being here on earth.” The former Chicago Bulls star said King’s passing was “real tough,” adding, “I don’t usually cry.”
King died at the age of 59 after a fall at home. He was pronounced dead on the morning of June 7, and the news reverberated far beyond the Bulls organization—because in Chicago, King had become more than a former player.
Grant, who currently serves as a special advisor to Michael Reinsdorf, spent more than seven years with the Bulls. During that stretch, he won four championships. The closeness between the two showed in Grant’s reaction, posted after King’s death and carried in a clip circulating from June 8.
King’s connection to Chicago was built early. He was an Emmy-winning broadcaster and was also named Sporting News Player of the Year in 1989. The Bulls selected him with the sixth overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft. From there. he immediately became a regular. appearing in all 82 games as a rookie and averaging 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds off the bench.
King stayed with the franchise through the Bulls’ first three-peat. winning NBA championships in 1991. 1992 and 1993—years that included his famous run alongside Michael Jordan. After that, he played for multiple teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
Across his career, King played 438 games, finishing with averages of 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Even after his playing days ended, his impact didn’t fade. King tried his hand at coaching as well, serving as head coach of the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association during the 2001-02 season.
He leaves behind a sport-wide legacy: a player who won three championships with Jordan. and a broadcaster who became one of the most recognizable voices around the NBA. For Grant. though. the loss landed in a different place first—right in the moment he admitted. through tears. how close the situation felt.
And with King’s death confirmed after a fall at home, the timeline is now set: he was pronounced dead on June 7, with Grant’s emotional reaction emerging the following day, June 8.
Stacey King Horace Grant Chicago Bulls NBA Michael Jordan Bulls championships NBA broadcaster Rockford Lightning Continental Basketball Association Minnesota Timberwolves Miami Heat Boston Celtics Dallas Mavericks