Stacey King
Stacey King
Main page

Stacey King

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Stacey King

Ronald Stacey King (January 29, 1967 – June 7, 2026) was an American professional basketball player and sports announcer. He played as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls in 1991, 1992, and 1993. He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, earning national player of the year honors in 1989. After retiring as a player, King had a brief stint as a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association before becoming the color commentator for the Bulls on their television broadcasts from the 2006–07 season until his death in 2026.

King was born on January 29, 1967, in Lawton, Oklahoma. He attended Lawton High School, where he averaged 18.4 points and 8 rebounds in his senior year, eliciting moderate attention from colleges. He played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1985 to 1989. He averaged six points in his freshman year and seven points in his sophomore year. After the conclusion of his sophomore year, in which the Sooners lost to Iowa in the 1987 NCAA tournament, King contemplated transferring from Oklahoma. He was frustrated with his limited minutes during the closing game, but he was convinced by academic advisor Rick Pryor, head coach Billy Tubbs, and his parents to stay. He worked with a construction team at Remington Park during the summer, but was convinced to focus more on his basketball career for his next season.

During the 1987–88 season, King was recognized as "a star on a star-studded team." He averaged 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, and posted the second most blocked shots in the Big Eight Conference with 103. King led the Sooners to the 1988 NCAA championship game, their first appearance in 41 years. He recorded 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks during the game, but Oklahoma ultimately lost to Kansas. He was named the MVP of the tournament and pledged to remain at Oklahoma and finish his degree. The Sooners' 1988–89 season saw King average 26.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks on 52.3% shooting, leading the Big Eight Conference in points and blocks per game. He earned the Big Eight Player of the Year award, a first team All-American selection, and The Sporting News Player of the Year award. In Sooners history, he ranks sixth in total points (2,008) and eighth in total rebounds (825).

After a standout college career at Oklahoma, King was projected to be a top pick in the 1989 NBA draft, particularly for teams in need of a power forward. He was selected sixth overall by the Chicago Bulls. In his rookie season, King played all 82 games for the Bulls, averaging 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 21.7 minutes and being the team's lead rebounder in six games. He scored a career-high 24 points along with 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals in a 122–97 win over the Washington Bullets on March 20, 1990. In the playoffs, he averaged 17 points and 5 rebounds in his two starts in place for Scottie Pippen in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. He ended the season earning a selection on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Compared to his rookie year, King's sophomore season was a relative disappointment, with his averages decreasing to 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. The season was filled with several off-court incidents, such as a family illness which restricted King from participating in practices and led to him starting the season overweight, his public discontent with the amount of minutes he was receiving, and eventually a walkout from practice near the end of the season, which led to a one-game suspension, further reduced playing time and a game in which he was booed at home. Regardless, King recalled playing well in place for Bill Cartwright for several weeks, and the team eventually won the 1991 NBA Finals for the franchise's first NBA championship.

MJ got on everybody when it came to basketball... But as a person, if Stacey wasn't in that locker room, it wouldn't have been the same and we all knew that. Stacey always took the edge off with his jokes when we were tight, in those playoff games against the Knicks and Pistons. Or if we needed someone to pick on, he was there too. And we all loved him for it.

Jack Maloney of CBS Sports wrote, "King never lived up to the hype from his stellar college career or became a full-time starter with the Bulls". NBA writer Sam Smith regarded him as a miscast on a roster already with forwards Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen. The team encouraged him to be a "piece of the puzzle" and general manager Jerry Krause emphasized his role as a defender rather than a scorer. While initially upset with being a role player, King went on to accept his position for the sake of winning. He played the role of a rotational bench player during the Michael Jordan-led dynasty in the early 1990s, winning three NBA championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993, notably contributing to Chicago's 15-point comeback in the fourth quarter of game 6 of the 1992 Finals to claim the championship. Grant regarded King's presence in the locker room as important to the team's success.

During his final season with the Bulls in the 1993–94 season, King averaged 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17 minutes, missing 15 games due to a right ankle sprain. In total, he averaged 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds during his tenure with Chicago, being "remembered fondly for his personality as a Bull" after his playing career.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.