On February 10th, 2009, the Chicago Bulls faced the Detroit Pistons in an NBA basketball match, but it would be the half-time event that would steal the show...
On this particular evening I happened to be out with family picking up some odds & ends when we decided to stop for dinner. We chose Chili's, and thanks to this decision I was lucky to catch this half-time special right before we left the restaurant for the evening.
Now, just so you know, I'm a huge fan of the Chicago Bulls, and have been since 1991 (I know, seems like I jumped on the bandwagon just in time for the championship years, but I've followed them just as closely every year since!) Having started watching Bulls games when I did, the voice and face of my favorite TV announcer has been Johnny "Red" Kerr.
This evening the NBA & the Chicago Bulls honored "Red" Kerr by presenting him with the Basketball Hall of Fame's 2009 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is quite a high honor in the world of NBA basketball, and numerous other icons from the Bulls' organization and Chicago would pay Johnny Red Kerr a personal thank you for his Life-long dedication to basketball and the Chicago Bulls. Among them were...
Former Bulls guard, former announcer, and current General Manager; John Paxson. Paxson is also famous for being the player to clinch the Bulls' 3rd consecutive championship in '93 with a 3-point shot with seconds remaining in game 6.
Former Bulls superstars Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. These two guys were at the core of each Bulls team that won 6 championships in the 1990's.Michael even went so far as to give Kerr one last dousing of rosen as was his
pre-game ritual during his playing days. The fans at the United Center cheered enormously for Pippen, Jordan, & Kerr during these moments.
Then, just as you thought the honors were about to end, the PA announcer said there was a special Chicagoan who wanted to honor Johnny "Red" Kerr via satellite. Moments later, President Barack Obama, former IL senator and Chicago resident came on the air on the big-screen at the UC to personally thank Johnny Kerr for his lifetime achievement award and all his years of serving the Chicago Bulls, and specifically for being the voice that called all of those championship games for Bulls fans everywhere.Then, the Bulls went on to defeat the Pistons in an exciting come-from-behind victory. They clinched the victory on Ben Gordon's last-second 4-point play...
For all the years of great announcing, thank you Red!
-J.A.B.
