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Michael Jordan once shared why a peaceful Bulls team meeting was 'Impossible' and Would End In 'Blows'
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- Michael Jordan once shared why a peaceful Bulls team meeting was 'Impossible' and Would End In 'Blows'
It has been well-documented that the 90s Chicago Bulls had a turbulent working relationship. Michael Jordan , Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson took issue with the Bulls front office's calls and decisions. As time passed, it became increasingly difficult for each of the organization's influential figures to coexist in harmony.
In the 1997-98 season, author and Bulls chronicler Roland Lazenby personally asked Jordan about talking their problems out with each other in one room. According to MJ, apart from the fact that it was too late for that, it was impossible for him, Pippen, Phil, Jerry Krause and Jerry Reinsdorf to be in the same room and have a peaceful talk.
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" Without blows? " he asked. " There's no way," Lazenby wrote in " Blood on the Horns: The Long Strange Ride of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls ." "Maybe in a padded room?" I suggested. "Why couldn't it be that simple? Just to talk it out?" "Even if you put all five of us in one room," he said, "and we tell our pains or whatever, we've proceeded past that. And we had to, to be successful."
No Phil, no MJ
The Bulls' internal conflicts were highlighted in detail in the highly acclaimed documentary, The Last Dance. Pippen delayed his surgery as a way of expressing his dissatisfaction with being underpaid, and there had always been a power struggle between Jordan and Krause.
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Despite their issues, the Bulls still managed to dominate the league. However, it reached its boiling point when Krause infamously made it clear that Jackson would be gone even if the Bulls went 82-0 in the 97-'98 season. Hence, Phil's The Last Dance with the team.
Mike carried on and did what he was supposed to do as the team's leader. However, he also let the Bulls front office know that he wouldn't play for any other coach than Jackson.
Krause said Phil wanted to leave
In a rare podcast interview, Krause reflected on "The Last Dance" and recounted what happened from his perspective as the Bulls general manager. According to Krause, he never took anything personally, especially with Jackson, even though he knew that The Zen Master had been behind it all .
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As for why it came down to The Last Dance, Jerry revealed that it wasn't his call to break the team apart. Instead, it was Phil who informed them that he would be leaving the team.
" The first time I ever saw him do that, it was a team against the manager. I knew what Phil was doing. There were certain things he needed and he got them that way," Phil was good with me, Phil was a good coach for me, and I never had a problem with him… The only time Phil and I ever had a problem was right near the end of our relationship. It revolved around some agent and contract things. It was mostly contractual," Krause said.
"It was most of what coaches could make and those kinds of things. It was never personal at all with Phil. I knew that Phil would leave a year before he left. He told me he was going to leave. He dedicated our playbook that year, they called it a 'last ride.' And that team was on its last ride," he added.
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In the end, the Bulls management won. They proceeded to rebuild as Krause had planned. Jackson left, and so did Jordan. Pippen was dealt to the Rockets , officially marking the end of one of the greatest NBA dynasties in history.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
