Oklahoma Basketball Legend Stacey King Dead at 59

Stacey King, the equally affable and unstoppable big man who led Oklahoma’s second college basketball renaissance under the late Billy Tubbs, has died. He was 59.

King’s passing was announced Sunday on the Chicago Bulls’ official Twitter account.

King, who won three NBA titles with the Bulls during the Michael Jordan reign, has been a member of the team’s broadcast crew since 2006.

We are devastated by the passing of 3x NBA Champion and beloved broadcaster Stacey King. pic.twitter.com/NSyeopd880
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 7, 2026

The 6-foot-10, 230-pound King came to Norman in 1985 from Lawton, OK, on the heels of Tubbs’ initial 1982-85 run of success at OU with Wayman Tisdale, and became a central figure in taking the Sooner program to even greater heights.

Soon after Tisdale’s departure for the NBA at the end of his junior season, King began to blossom on the national college basketball scene.

He played in just 14 games as a true freshman in 1985-86, and during his sophomore year, King averaged 7.0 points and 3.9 rebounds.

Then in 1987-88, King teamed with Mookie Blaylock, Harvey Grant, Ricky Grace, Dave Sieger and others to drive the Sooners all the way to the NCAA National Championship Game, where they shockingly lost in an unforgettable showdown against Danny Manning and Kansas.

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King averaged 22.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on his way to being named NCAA All-Tournament and All-Regional as OU finished its best season with a 35-4 record and a Big Eight crown.

King returned for his senior year and was even better as OU repeated as Big Eight champs and finished the season at 30-6 and No. 4 in the final AP Poll, although the postseason ended unexpectedly in the Sweet Sixteen with a loss to Virginia.

King averaged 26.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior and shot 52.4 percent from the floor as he landed consensus All-America accolades as well as The Sporting News National Player of the Year and Big Eight Player of the Year.

Oklahoma Sooners Stacey King — FILE PHOTO; Oklahoma Sooners forward Stacey King (33) in action. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

King’s dominant inside presence teamed perfectly with Blaylock, the iron-tough guard who became an instant spark plug for Tubbs during those two magical seasons after transferring from junior college.

Blaylock averaged 16.4 points as a junior and 20.0 as a senior, led the Big Eight both seasons by averaging 3.8 stars per game, and also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.

Much like Tisdale — another native Oklahoman (Tulsa) — King was an ebullient personality, as beloved across campus for his broad beaming smile and friendly demeanor as he was for putting the basketball in the basket.

The Bulls drafted him No. 6 overall and he rewarded the team by playing in all 82 games and averaging a career-best 8.9 points per game, along with 4.7 rebounds.

King played eight seasons in the NBA, including 4 1/2 years in Chicago and was a key reserve on Jordan’s first three-year dynasty. King averaged nearly 80 games per season in his first four years with the Bulls and posted 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds with the team.

King also played for Minnesota, Miami, Dallas and Boston before retiring as a player following the 1996-97 season with the Mavericks. HIs best stretch statistically was 1993-94, when he left the Bulls in midseason and joined Timberwolves. In 18 games with Minnesota that season, he averaged career-highs of 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds while playing 28.7 minutes per game.

At OU, King was one of just five players to score more than 2,000 points: Tisdale (2,661), Jeff Webster (2,281), Tim McCalister (2,275), Darryl "Choo" Kennedy (2,097), and King (2,008). The late Ryan Minor (1,946) nearly joined that elite group.

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