Stacey King, Bulls announcer, passes away at 59

No.  

No, no, no, no. No, no. That was all I could say when I saw this come up on my news feed.

It came as a complete shock.                                 

Beloved Chicago Bulls announcer Stacey King has passedaway at the age of 59. At this point, there’s no report on cause of death. Bulls fans across Chicagoland were saddened.

King was a legend. One of those guys that just about everybody loved. He had an unequaled passion, enthusiasm and joy for the game, and for our Bulls team, that he so wonderfully shared with viewers as the color man for Bulls telecasts.

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King played for the Bulls and was part of three championship teams, but he became best known when he took over as their color announcer 20 years ago, and soon became “the voice” of the team. As he developed as an announcer, he started to add his own “special sauce” to Bulls games.

He was known for giving players nicknames and for famous lines, like for Bulls star Derrick Rose, “Too big! Too fast! Too strong!...Too good!” For Omar Asik, “Asik and destroy!”

Or when a Bulls player came up with a dramatic block, King might cry out in excitement, “Oh my goodness, folks, he didn’t come here for the massage—he came here for the facial!”

Or for a particularly ridiculous athletic play, he might say, “Stop it, stop it, you can’t be doing that!”

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And maybe most famously, when the Bulls had wrapped up a victory, in the waning minutes, even before the game officially had ended, he would give his famous “This game is over” call by saying “Drive home safely, folks.”

It was those, and so much more, that made Stacey King a true Bulls legend.

Again, there will be more details to come.

But suffice it to say for now, there is shock and sadness in Chicagoland and across the NBA on the passing of one of the game’s most joyous and iconic voices.