Stacey King obit

Bulls champion, broadcaster Stacey King cause of death revealed

 He was not on the list.

Chicago Bulls broadcaster and championship-winning forward Stacey King died June 7 as a result of a fall in his home, as reported by David Kaplan of ESPN Chicago.

King, 59, was a member of the Bulls’ broadcasting team as a color analyst for more than two decades following his eight-year NBA career.

A first team All-American at Oklahoma and a member of three championship teams (1991-93) in Chicago, King first joined the Bulls when he was chosen sixth overall in the 1989 NBA Draft.

After playing five seasons for the Bulls, King finished his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.9 minutes across 438 regular season games in his career.

King coached in the CBA after his NBA playing career before joining the Bulls’ broadcast team. He became a popular analyst on Bulls television broadcasts.

“Stacey King was a cherished member of the Bulls family and one of the truly unique personalities in our organization’s history,” Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “His connection to Chicago, the Bulls and our fans spanned more than three decades – first as a player and later as the unmistakable voice that helped bring Bulls basketball into the homes of generations of fans. We will miss him deeply and remember the joy, energy, humor, candor and passion he brought to our organization, our broadcasts and our fans every day.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

At Oklahoma, King was a consensus All-America first team in 1988-89 as a senior, when he led the nation in rebounds. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team as a junior in 1988.

Within years, King was an integral part of a Bulls dynasty that rattled off three consecutive championships.

King is survived by his four sons, Erick, Garrett, Brandon and Mason.

He played as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993. He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, earning national player of the year honors in 1989. After retiring as a player, King was the color commentator for the Bulls on their television broadcasts beginning in the 2006–07 season until his death in 2026.

King was born on January 29, 1967, in Lawton, Oklahoma, and attended Lawton High School. He played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1985 to 1989 under "legendary" head coach Billy Tubbs. He was already considered an All-Star during his rookie year, but did not attend the game due to suffering first-and second-degree burns from a car accident in El Reno during the summer.

After the conclusion of his sophomore year, in which the Sooners lost to Iowa in the 1987 NCAA tournament, King contemplated transferring from Oklahoma. He was frustrated with his limited minutes during the close game, but was convinced on the flight back home by academic advisor Rick Pryor, Tubbs, and later his parents to stay. He worked with a construction team at Remington Park during the summer, but was convinced to focus more on his basketball career for his next season.

During the 1987–88 season, King was recognized as "a star on a star-studded team." He averaged 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and set a second for the most blocked shots in the Big Eight Conference with 103. King led the Sooners to the 1988 NCAA championship game, their first appearance in 41 years. He recorded 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks during the game which Oklahoma ultimately lost to Kansas. He was named the MVP of the tournament and pledged to remain at Oklahoma and finish his degree. The Sooners' 1988–89 season saw King average 26.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks on 52.3% shooting, leading the Big Eight in points and blocks per game. He earned the Big Eight Player of the Year award, a first team All-American selection, and The Sporting News Player of the Year award. He ranks sixth in Sooners history in total points (2,008) and eighth in total rebounds (825).

After a standout college career at Oklahoma, King was projected to be a top pick in the 1989 NBA draft, particularly for teams in need of power forwards. He was passed on by the Sacramento Kings for the first overall pick, and ended up being selected by the Chicago Bulls with the sixth overall pick. In his rookie season, King played all 82 games for the Bulls, averaging 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes and being the team's lead rebounder in six games. He scored a career-high 24 points along with five rebounds, three blocks and three steals in a 122–97 win over the Washington Bullets on March 20, 1990. In the playoffs, he averaged 17 points and 5 rebounds in his two starts in place for Scottie Pippen in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. He ended the season earning a selection on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Compared to his rookie year, King's sophomore season was a relative disappointment, with his averages decreasing to 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. The season was filled with several off-court incidents, such as a family illness which restricted King from participating in practices and led to him starting the season overweight, his public discontent with the amount of minutes he was receiving, and eventually a walkout from practice near the end of the season, which led to a one-game suspension, further reduced playing time and a game in which he was booed at home. Regardless, King recalled playing well in place for Bill Cartwright for several weeks, and the team eventually won the 1991 NBA Finals for their first championship title.

Jack Maloney of CBS Sports wrote that King "never lived up to the hype from his stellar college career or became a full-time starter with the Bulls". NBA writer Sam Smith regarded him as a miscast on a Bulls roster already with forwards Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen. King himself recalled being initially unhappy with his status as a role player but went on to accept his position for the sake of winning. He played a role for the Bulls as a rotational bench player during the Michael Jordan-led dynasty of the 1990s, winning three NBA championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. .He notably contributed to Chicago's 15-point, fourth quarter comeback in Game 6 of the 1992 Finals to claim the championship.

On February 24, 1994, just before the season's trade deadline, the Bulls sent King to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Australian-born center Luc Longley and a second-round draft pick. Smith wrote that "Minnesota was where NBA careers went to die, and Stacey's did." His first season with Minnesota was one of his best statistically, with him averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. However, he did not reflect fondly on his tenure with the Timberwolves, which the Chicago Tribune described as "a maddening season and a half". He signed with the Miami Heat in October 1994. Issues with injuries led to him appearing in only 15 games and 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds during the 1995–96 season.

Afterwards, King signed with the Grand Rapids Hoops of the Continental Basketball Association, and later the CBA's Sioux Falls Skyforce, where his health and availability improved. In the 1996–97 season, King signed 10-day contracts with the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics but was not able to secure a permanent role on either team as they were prioritizing younger talents.

 Spurred by his friends in the CBA, King became an assistant coach for the Rockford Lightning in their 2000–01 season. On January 15, 2001, he was promoted to head coach after the resignation of Bob Salmi, who had led the team to a 4–11 record by that point in the season. By the end of the month, King had led the Lightning to a 6–2 record. Returning for the 2001–02 season, King led the Lightning to the CBA Finals, where they lost 116–109 to the Dakota Wizards. After leaving the Lightning, he later coached his former team, the Skyforce.

Retiring from coaching in order to spend more time with his children, King began his commentary career in 2004 with Comcast SportsNet as a studio analyst for pre-game and post-game shows for the Chicago Bulls. He was a game analyst during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, and became a regular season game broadcaster for the Bulls for the 2006–07 season. In 2008, he became the lead color commentator along with Neil Funk. King continued in that role when Adam Amin replaced Funk in 2020, until the channel's closure in 2024. King then transitioned to Chicago Sports Network and retained his role as lead color commentator along with Amin.

King’s popularity as an announcer has been attributed to his enthusiastic style and use of catchphrases and nicknames. His best known catchphrase during his broadcasting career was "Gimme the Hot Sauce". Some examples of nicknames he has given to players include "the Windy City Assassin" referring to Derrick Rose, "Red Velvet" for Kevin Huerter and "Lil Buzi Vert" for Matas Buzelis. He has also received attention for his calls of highlight plays by Rose during Rose’s time with the Chicago Bulls.

Personal information

Born    January 29, 1967

Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.

Died    June 7, 2026 (aged 59)

River Forest, Illinois, U.S.

Listed height   6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)

Listed weight  230 lb (104 kg)

Career information

High school     Lawton (Lawton, Oklahoma)

College            Oklahoma (1985–1989)

NBA draft        1989: 1st round, 6th overall pick

Drafted by       Chicago Bulls

Playing career 1989–1999

Position           Power forward / center

Number           34, 21, 33

Career history

Playing

1989–1994      Chicago Bulls

1994–1995      Minnesota Timberwolves

1995–1996      Miami Heat

1996–1997      Grand Rapids Hoops

1997    Sioux Falls Skyforce

1997    Boston Celtics

1997    Dallas Mavericks

1997–1998      Antalya Büyükşehir Belediyesi

1998    Sioux Falls Skyforce

1998–1999      Atenas de Córdoba

Coaching

2001–2002      Rockford Lightning

2002–2003      Sioux Falls Skyforce

Career highlights

3× NBA champion (1991–1993)

NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1990)

Sporting News Player of the Year (1989)

Consensus first-team All-American (1989)

Big Eight Player of the Year (1989)

First-team All-Big Eight (1989)

No. 33 honored by Oklahoma Sooners

Career NBA statistics

Points  2,819 (6.4 ppg)

Rebounds        1,460 (3.3 rpg)

Blocks 210 (0.5 bpg)