Quick Answer
Stacey King, the former Chicago Bulls forward and longtime Bulls television color commentator, died on June 7, 2026 at the age of 59. The Chicago Bulls organization confirmed his death publicly the same day. Family members and reporting from Chicago outlets indicate the death was sudden and unexpected.
As of the team's initial confirmation, an official cause of death had not been publicly released. Several reports cited family sources describing a sudden incident at his home, with further details pending standard medical examiner review.
What has been confirmed so far
The Bulls' statement noted the loss of a former player and longtime broadcaster and asked for privacy for King's family. Major outlets including ABC News, NBC News, CBS Sports, the Chicago Sun Times and CBS Chicago reported the death the same day, all consistent on the basic facts: King was 59, the team confirmed the news, and the broader cause of death information was not yet public at the time of initial reporting.
I am keeping this section narrow on purpose. Early reports in a story like this can move fast, and the most respectful version is to anchor on what the team and family have actually said, and to let the formal coroner findings update the public record on their own timeline.
His playing career in Chicago
King was born January 29, 1967 in Lawton, Oklahoma, and starred at the University of Oklahoma before the Bulls selected him sixth overall in the 1989 NBA Draft. He arrived in Chicago in the middle of the franchise's transition from playoff contender to dynasty, and he was on the roster for the first three championship runs from 1991 through 1993.
His box score averages in five Chicago seasons sat in the modest range, near 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, in a frontcourt rotation that revolved around Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. The number that mattered more was the role he played: a young, big, energetic body off the bench during the run that defined modern Bulls basketball.
After Chicago he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks before stepping away from the NBA. Three rings, an Oklahoma legacy and a fixed place in the early 90s Bulls story carried him through the rest of his post playing life.
The broadcasting career
King returned to the Bulls organization as a television color commentator in the mid 2000s and quickly became one of the most recognizable voices in Chicago sports media. The pairing with play by play partners turned into appointment listening for fans who had grown up watching him as a player and stayed for his read on the game as an analyst.
What made him work in the booth was the same thing that made him a useful locker room presence as a player. He was loud, generous with credit, quick to find a nickname, and never afraid to sound like a fan when the team did something genuinely exciting. The catchphrases he became associated with (the kind that get clipped, posted and replayed every season) were a feature, not a bit.
He also stayed close to Oklahoma basketball, regularly returning for alumni events and remaining a visible advocate for the program that drafted his college identity. That dual loyalty (Sooners and Bulls) was part of why his audience felt like it spanned generations of basketball fans rather than just one team's base.
What the league and his peers have said
In the hours following the team's announcement, tributes came in from former teammates, opposing players, current Bulls staff and on air colleagues across the league. The common thread in the early reactions was less about statistics and more about character: a teammate first, a partner who made everyone in the booth and on the bus easier to work with, and a Chicago figure who showed up for community work without making it part of his on air brand.
The Bulls indicated that they would honor King ahead of next season and that a more detailed tribute would follow in coordination with his family. The NBA and several broadcast partners issued condolences through standard channels.
How fans are remembering him
On social platforms, fan tributes leaned heavily on three things: clips from the championship years, classic broadcast calls and personal stories from people who had met him at autograph sessions, charity events and games over the past two decades. The volume and tone of those tributes are the clearest measure of how durable his second career was, because it is rare for a role player from a 30 year old roster to be mourned this widely on the strength of broadcasting alone.
How to follow the story responsibly
For a story like this, the most reliable sources over the next several days will be the Chicago Bulls official channels, the family statement when it is released, and the major Chicago outlets that have direct beat reporters on the team. Social media will move faster, but speed is not the same thing as accuracy when the cause of death is still pending formal review.
If you want to honor King in a practical way, the Bulls and several Chicago youth basketball organizations he supported will likely set up tribute channels in the days ahead. Following the official team account is the cleanest way to get notified once those details are confirmed rather than chasing third party reposts.
His legacy beyond the box score
The numbers on the back of a basketball card never captured what made King important to the people who watched him. He was a draft pick who became a champion, a champion who became a broadcaster, and a broadcaster who became part of the daily soundtrack of a city through both winning and losing seasons. That arc, more than any statistic, is what fans will be remembering.
The takeaway
Stacey King's death at 59 takes a familiar voice out of Chicago basketball and removes a member of one of the most recognizable rosters in NBA history. The official cause of death has not been publicly released at the time of the team's initial announcement, and the responsible path is to wait for the family and medical examiner timeline rather than guess. What is already clear is the legacy he leaves: three championship rings as a player, two decades as a broadcaster, a city that adopted him fully, and a generation of fans who treated his calls as part of how they watched the game.
