By Zack Pearson
Saturday marked the first time the Chicago Bulls played in front of their home crowd at the United Center in the 2026-27 regular season. It was also the first time they did so without legendary broadcaster and former player Stacey King.
King passed suddenly in June at his River Forest home. It surprised everyone as King had just completed another season as broadcaster of the team. He was the voice of the Bulls for two decades, sharing his enthusiasm for the team he loved and once played for.
On Saturday night, the Bulls paid homage to King with a video tribute showcasing highlights from his playing career and broadcasting career. King’s voice echoed through the stadium once more with his signature catchphrases and excitement for the glory years. It felt like King was there once again, providing some more commentary to some of the biggest moments of his broadcasting career.
You could even feel the emotion in the building as it turned to excitement right away. While this current team won’t hear King call their games, his broadcasting spot will still be there and so will a patch on the team’s jersey to honor him.
At the United Center, fans filled the stands with excitement for a new campaign that is set to begin backed by a young roster filled with talent. That includes the core of Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, and Josh Giddey among others.
Despite the tough loss to the Washington Wizards, the night was still filled with memories of King as well as a standout performance from rookie Caleb Wilson who scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
He had a few “poster” dunks in which the JumboTron used King’s phrase as well as “give me the hot sauce” for big plays during the game. The connection found its way through King to these players.
Chicago Bulls have plans to honor Stacey King
With King’s passing, the Bulls are doing their part in honoring him. While they won’t have a permanent replacement this season, it will be a rotating chair next to play-by-play man Adam Amin.
In the season opener in Toronto, Amin called the first quarter alone before Robbie Hummel joined him in the second quarter. It was a way for Amin to pay tribute to his long-time broadcast partner and something that Hummel was gracious enough to do by sitting out that first quarter.
In addition to the patches as well as a rotation of play-by-play guys, the Bulls will honor King throughout the year as well. Saturday was just the beginning of the celebration of King’s life and throughout the season, Bulls fans will be able to reminisce as they make their way to the United Center for games.
Zack Pearson is a Chicago based sports reporter covering the Chicago Bears for CBSi & 247 Sports.
