ESPN’s First Take honored Stacey King after the former Chicago Bulls forward and beloved broadcaster died unexpectedly this week.
The Chicago Bulls reported the devastating news Sunday afternoon. King was just 59 years old, with the cause of death still unknown.
Monday morning on First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Jay Williams, and Chicago natives Shae Cornette and Michael Wilbon remembered what King meant to the city, the Bulls, and their fans.
“He was the nicest, coolest customer in the world,” Cornette said, noting how she viewed him as a larger-than-life figure. “And I’ll tell you this, going back home to Chicago and flipping on a Bulls game and hearing his voice just made me feel at home. ‘Give me the hot sauce!’ I could recount all his catchphrases, and it’s going to be hard to go home and watch a Bulls game without his voice on it this year.”
Jay Williams noted thinking about his own connection to the Bulls can be hard because it was in Chicago where his playing career was derailed by a motorcycle accident. But King was someone he was able to have those difficult conversations with.