A fall at his home claimed the life of Ronald “Stacey” King, the former NBA champion and longtime Chicago Bulls broadcaster, on June 7, 2026. He was 59 years old.
King’s death was announced by the Chicago Bulls organization and confirmed that afternoon by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, stunning a basketball community that had embraced him both as a player who won three championships alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and later as one of the franchise’s most recognizable television voices.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said additional testing is required to determine King’s official cause of death, and that results could take several weeks. River Forest Police Chief James Greenwood said authorities were awaiting autopsy results and could not share further details. Authorities have not yet determined whether the fall directly caused King’s death or whether a medical emergency preceded it.
The heartbreaking news jolted Bulls fans, for whom King’s voice had become a staple of game nights long after his playing days ended.
From Oklahoma to Championship Glory
Born on Jan. 29, 1967, in Lawton, Oklahoma, King stood 6 feet, 11 inches and weighed 230 pounds as a left-handed big man. Known by the nicknames “Sky” and “Pearl,” he starred at Lawton High School and the University of Oklahoma before Chicago selected him sixth overall in the 1989 NBA Draft — a class that would fuel the Bulls’ dynasty.
King debuted on Nov. 3, 1989, and earned All-Rookie Second Team honors after appearing in all 82 games and averaging 8.9 points. Though his minutes fluctuated as coach Phil Jackson tightened his rotation around Jordan and Pippen, King contributed steadily throughout the franchise’s first three-peat, collecting championship rings in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
During the 1991-92 title run, King posted his statistical peak in Chicago, averaging 7.0 points across 79 games. He followed with 76 appearances during the 1992-93 championship season. Across five years with the Bulls, King played 344 games — the majority of a career that would span 438 regular-season appearances.
A Journeyman’s Final Playing Years
The 1993-94 season ended King’s time in Chicago. After 31 games with the Bulls, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where his role briefly expanded. In 18 games with Minnesota that season, King averaged 11.8 points — his career high — while playing nearly 29 minutes per night.
King remained with the Timberwolves through 1994-95, appearing in 50 games and averaging 5.3 points. He joined the Miami Heat for the 1995-96 season, playing 15 games, before finishing his career in 1996-97 with five games for the Boston Celtics and six for the Dallas Mavericks.
Over eight NBA seasons, King averaged 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists, shooting 47.8% from the field and 70.7% from the line, according to career totals. But the three championship rings and the locker rooms he occupied during one of basketball’s greatest dynasties secured his place in Chicago history.
The Voice That Found a New Generation
King’s broadcasting career arguably eclipsed his playing achievements in terms of public visibility. After retiring from basketball, he became a fixture on Bulls television telecasts, where his theatrical calls, booming voice and penchant for giving players nicknames turned him into appointment viewing — particularly during rebuilding seasons when his enthusiasm often outshone the team’s performance.
For fans too young to recall the Jordan dynasty firsthand, King was the connective tissue linking championship banners to the present, memory to the rebuild. He brought energy and personality that made even ordinary regular-season contests feel important.
Michael Jordan, King’s teammate on all three championship teams, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss. “We shared some special years as teammates, and he was part of a group that helped define an era of Chicago Bulls basketball,” Jordan said. “My thoughts are with Stacey’s family, friends and everyone whose lives he touched.”
A Community in Mourning
Within hours of the announcement, tributes poured in from former teammates, broadcast colleagues and fans sharing memories of his calls, his laugh and his ability to make games feel consequential. In a statement released through the Bulls on June 9, his four sons — Erick, Garrett, Brandon and Mason King — paid tribute to their father, saying he had taught them “what it means to live with passion, generosity, and authenticity.” The family thanked Bulls fans for embracing King throughout his career.
The team said it would announce plans to honor King during the offseason.
King is remembered as a beloved longtime television broadcaster and one of the rare athletes whose second career deepened, rather than replaced, the affection earned in the first.