Michael Jordan Drops Upsetting News Ahead of Bulls Ring of Honor in Touching Message to Chicago Franchise

The Chicago Bulls will honor 13 of the franchise’s greats in tonight’s Ring of Honor ceremony, including His Airness. However, Michael Jordan gave the occasion a skip for reasons unspecified. Instead, he sent his old team and fellow inductees a video-recorded message made for the event. “Good evening, I want to thank Jerry Reinsdorf and Michael Reinsdorf for starting the Ring of Honor,” Jordan opened the video that seems to be recorded in his trophy room.

“I want to congratulate all the other recipients. I am so bummed that I can’t be there tonight, but I don’t want that to stop the fun that you guys are going to have.” The 6x NBA champion further added, “And believe me, I am very grateful and very honored. To the fans, you guys have supported me ever since I stepped foot in Chicago. And even today, I see a lot of Chicago fans all over. So I think we made an impression and changed what Chicago represents in terms of champions.”

Tonight’s honorees Jordan refers to are Artis Gilmore, Phil Jackson, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Toni Kukoc, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker, Tex Winter, and the 1996 championship-winning team.

There are certain criteria for this inaugural class of inductees in the Bulls Ring of Honor, including the players must have played for at least three seasons with the team. In the 13 seasons in Chicago, with one retirement in between, Jordan was a 14x All-Star, 5x MVO, and 6x Finals MVP. The players inducted should also have a banner in the United Center rafters or a spot in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Jordan has both.

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“Every time you look up in the rafters, I want you to always remember where we were and where we are. And we are always going to be champions. So, thank you to the fans. Once again, I want to thank Jerry Reinsdorf and Michael Reinsdorf for doing this and congratulate the other recipients,” MJ said.

Fans dejected by Michael Jordan’s absence

The video message did very little to assuage Bulls fans. Much has been speculated about the probability of having teammates-turned-foes, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan in the same room.

Even though he won’t be present physically, the Bulls didn’t discount him. A-listers were recruited to write essays about the 13 inductees. And former president, Barack Obama, penned a piece on Jordan.

His Airness drove his disappointment home when he concluded with, “Man, I’m bummed I can’t be there but I will always be a Chicago Bulls and I want them to continually do well. I’d like to see other banners in the rafters, and I hope the city can always be proud of the Chicago Bulls. Thank you very much. Have a great evening.”

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Michael Jordan’s message aired in the United Center during halftime. He hasn’t yet stated the reason for his absence.