Two Chicago Bulls Legends Die Hours Apart

On the same day that the 2008-2009 Chicago Bulls become the probably first NBA team with a losing record to be granted an audience with the President of the United States, two legendary figures associated with the team would die. First, three-time All-Star guard Norm Van Lier, 61, was found dead at his home from yet undetermined causes. Hours later, Johnny "Red" Kerr, the first ever coach of the Bulls and the team's longtime broadcaster, died from prostate cancer at the age of 76. Compounding the coincidence, Van Lier too was a TV analyst for Bulls games.

I never really saw Van Lier play, except in one of those infrequent Bulls games from the 70s they'd rerun on Basketball TV. Kerr however was a distinct figure from my childhood, in his capacity as the color analyst for Chicago Bulls games. 

I was one of those many Filipinos who were Bulls-addled during the Jordan years. At a time when we did not yet have cable, and NBA games were shown only once a week in a weeks-delayed stilted broadcast hosted by Quinito Henson, my primary source for Bulls games was Betamax tapes rented out by a certain store (since long closed) in the second floor of the old Virra Mall. These tapes, usually 2-3 weeks old, were recorded out of Chicago, so they carried the commentary from the team's broadcasters, Kerr and Jim Durham. The routine of renting these tapes went on for a few years, so I became intimately familiar with the Kerr/Dunham routine and idiosyncracies (as well as the incomparable pre-game introductions of Ray Clay). Jordan would have this gimmick at the start of every game -- going over to Kerr and clapping talcum powder in front of him. It was sophomoric, but Kerr was game each time, and soon I grew very cozy with the routine. 

Kerr was intractably biased towards the Bulls (who employed him, after all). I don't know if Kerr could be considered a great broadcaster, but he had a hale and hearty style that was easy to take. When he skipped a Bulls game, there was something missing from the show.