Bulls Share Plans to Honor Late Stacey King for the 2026-27 Season

The Chicago Bulls have announced a jersey band that will honor King for the entire season.

The Chicago Bulls' upcoming jersey band that will honor the late Stacey King for the 2026-27 season. | via Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have announced their plans to honor the late Stacey King ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

The organization's longtime color commentator tragically passed away at his home on June 7, 2026. Only 59 years old, King became one of Chicago's most notorious broadcasters with his uplifting energy and entertaining catchphrases. He first started calling games in 2006, only to further gain national relevance for his many iconic calls during the Derrick Rose Era.

Of course, King was also part of the organization's first three NBA championships in the early 90s. He was drafted out of Oklahoma with the 6th pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. Serving primarily as a reserve, King played in 344 games during his Bulls career before suiting up for Minnesota, Miami, Boston, and Dallas.

It was a foregone conclusion that the Bulls would go out of their way to honor King, but it was unclear how they planned to do so until now. The franchise officially revealed that a band will be on all jerseys for the entirety of the season. The black band on the left side will read KING, with the "I" replaced by a microphone.

The recognition will not stop there, however. The Bulls will celebrate King's life on February 4, 2027, with a special night at the United Center. More information will be shared at a later date, according to the team. The event will take place only days after what would have been King's 60th birthday. Chicago will also host Oklahoma City that night, serving as a fitting nod to King's hometown roots.

With how embedded King has become in the viewing experience of Chicago Bulls basketball, one has to wonder if there could be a more permanent way to honor him at the United Center. Again, more details on the special event will be announced at a later date, so perhaps that evening will be used to unveil a long-term plan.

As for how the organization plans to fill the color commentary role, recent reporting shared that the Bulls will use a rotating panel for the time being. It's a similar approach that they took when Neil Funk was nearing retirement. They had multiple voices come in for a trial period before landing on Adam Amin.

As of now, we know that fans can expect to hear the voices of Robbie Hummel, Will Perdue, Kendall Gill, and Scott Williams over the next handful of months. While time will tell if any of those folks land the full-time gig, it does feel likely that the decision will come down to this group.

Nevertheless, that's a discussion for a later day. There should be absolutely no rush to fill King's seat, as the local fan favorite deserves to be honored to the fullest.

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