Michael Jordan ‘deeply saddened’ by Stacey King’s death at age 59

Nypost · Jun 08, 2026 · 363 words · By Collin Ward

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What to know about Michael Jordan ‘deeply saddened’ by Stacey King’s death at age 59

NBA legend Michael Jordan was hit hard by the death of former teammate Stacey King, who died at 59 after a serious fall at his home on Saturday.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

NBA legend Michael Jordan was hit hard by the death of former teammate Stacey King, who died at 59 after a serious fall at his home on Saturday.

Why it matters

“I’m deeply saddened to learn of Stacey’s passing.

Common ground

We shared some special years together as teammates, and he was part of a group that helped define an era of Chicago Bulls basketball,” Jordan said in a statement.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Michael Jordan ‘deeply saddened’ by Stacey King’s death at age 59?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that King was drafted by the Bulls No. 6 overall in the 1989 NBA Draft?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/sports/michael-jordan-deeply-saddened-by-stacey-ki…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “King was drafted by the Bulls No. 6 overall in the 1989 NBA Draft”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm Stacey King was the 6th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1989–90 Chicago Bulls season was the 24th season for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls received the sixth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft from the New Jersey N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989–90_Chicago_Bulls_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Confe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Bulls

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ronald Stacey King (January 29, 1967 – June 7, 2026) was an American professional basketball player and sports announcer. He played as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won thr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacey_King

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “He spent the next five years bouncing between the Heat, Celtics, and Mavericks”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that after the Timberwolves, King played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Dallas Mavericks.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Dallas Mavericks, often referred to as the Mavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the South…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Mavericks

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web search NEUTRAL — King won three consecutive NBA titles with the Bulls playing alongside Michael Jordan. He played four seasons and part of a fifth with Chicago and also played with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami He…
https://stormininnorman.com/basketball-world-mourns-death-of…

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web search NEUTRAL — Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
https://www.nbcsportsboston.com/nba/boston-celtics/

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Claim 3: “After retiring from the NBA, King became an Emmy-winning color commentator for NBC Sports Chicago and the Chicago Sports Network”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm King became an Emmy-winning color commentator for NBC Sports Chicago and the Chicago Sports Network.

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web search NEUTRAL — King coached 2 seasons in the NBA G-League and CBA before becoming the color commentator for Bulls games on NBC Sports Chicago from 2006 until the network shut down in 2024. King Gained Fame With Lege…
https://heavy.com/sports/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-legend-derr…

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web search NEUTRAL — After retiring from the NBA, King became an Emmy-winning color commentator for NBC Sports Chicago and the Chicago Sports Network. Chicago Bulls television announcer Stacey King attends the first half …
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/michael-jordan-deeply-sadd…

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web search NEUTRAL — Following his playing days, King transitioned to a career as an Emmy-winning color commentator on the Bulls’ broadcast team. King spent over 20 years as a commentator on Bulls games, earning recogniti…
https://www.blazersedge.com/nba-news-rumors/113044/stacey-ki…

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Claim 4: “He also had his own podcast called “Gimme The Hotsauces,” named after one of his iconic calls”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries regarding a podcast titled 'Gimme The Hotsauces'.

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Claim 5: “After 31 games with the Bulls during the 1993-94 season, King was traded to the Timberwolves”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including the Wikipedia page for Jerry Krause and other web results, confirm King was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 1993-94 season.

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web search NEUTRAL — During the 1993–94 NBA season, Stacey King was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for 7'2" center Luc Longley.[19] Longley's emergence for the Bulls during the 1994–95 season made Will P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Krause

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web search NEUTRAL — Stacey King was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 1993-94 season. Bill Cartwright stayed before finishing his career with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1995.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-for-second-i-tho…

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web search NEUTRAL — Chicago selected King with the No. 6 overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft, and he played until he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 1993-94 campaign. He also played for the Miami Heat,…
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25435390-michael-jordan-…

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Claim 6: “The forward’s best year in Chicago was his rookie season, when he averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the evidence confirms Stacey King's identity and career, none of the provided search results or Wikipedia snippets contain his specific rookie season statistics (8.9 pts, 4.7 reb, 1.1 ast).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026–27 Chicago Bulls season will be the 61st season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). On April 21, 2026, Billy Donovan stepped down as the Chicago Bulls' head coach.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026–27_Chicago_Bulls_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Jordan, 63”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results confirm Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, making him 63 years old in 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1985–86 Chicago Bulls season was the 20th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). During the offseason, they acquired forward Charles Oakley from the Cleveland Cavali…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985–86_Chicago_Bulls_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This page details statistics, awards, records, and other achievements pertaining to Michael Jordan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman, former professional basketball player, former baseball player, and minority owner of the Cha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “King, who played mainly as a reserve with the Bulls, helped Jordan three-peat as champion between 1991-’93”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and news reports, confirm King won three consecutive championships with the Bulls from 1991 to 1993.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1992–93 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It featured the two-time defending NBA champ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_NBA_Finals

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “former teammate Stacey King, who died at 59 after a serious fall at his home on Saturday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including the Chicago Tribune and Wikipedia, confirm Stacey King died at age 59 on June 7, 2026, following a fall at his home.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following notable deaths in the United States occurred in 2026. Names are reported under the date of death, in alphabetical order. A typical entry reports information in the following sequence: Na…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_deaths_in_the_United_Stat…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Certain American television events in 2026 have been scheduled. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, and cancellations; channel launches, closures, and rebrandings; stations changing…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_American_television

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.