Jerry Krause, who orchestrated the Chicago Bulls’ dominant run in the 1990s, died at the age of 77 on Tuesday.
Krause, a native of Chicago, became the Bulls’ general manager in 1985 and drafted the likes of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to team with Michael Jordan and build a team that won six NBA championships.
“The entire Bulls organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Jerry Krause,” Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Jerry was one of the hardest working guys I have ever been around, and he was one of the best talent evaluators ever. Jerry played an integral role in our run of six championships in eight years.
“He truly was the architect of all our great teams in the ’90s. I would not have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame if it were not for Jerry. We will miss him tremendously, and we send our thoughts and prayers to his wife Thelma and the Krause family.”
Krause is a two-time winner of the league’s Executive of the Year Award.
“I owe a lot to Jerry,” said John Paxson, Chicago’s executive vice president of basketball operations who played for the Bulls from 1986 until 1994. “If it weren’t for him bringing me to Chicago in 1985, I probably never would have been a Bull.
“He had a great eye for talent, and his ability to build a team is unrivaled. He’s one of the best the league has ever seen. We’re keeping Thelma and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Krause retired from the Bulls in 2003. Krause also served as an NBA scout and a baseball scout for the Chicago White Sox.
Out of college, he worked as a scout for the Baltimore Bullets and later with the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Krause is survived by his wife, Thelma, his two children, Stacy and David, and grandchildren Colette, Josh, Mia and Riley.