The Chicago Bulls made franchise history this week. For the first time ever, a black man became their GM when Marc Eversley assumed the mantle left behind by the departed Gar Forman. A former employee of Nike, he joined the scouting ranks over a decade ago. He worked his way up the ladder in Toronto and eventually found his way into a position as Assistant GM for the Philadelphia 76ers. Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas liked what he heard when the two met.
It appears the Bulls felt Eversley was their guy by last weekend. However, the plan was that they would tell him first thing Monday morning on April 27th. That is until a momentous evening that Sunday the 26th. Karnisovas, a longtime Bulls fan in his youth was glued to his television like many others to watch the third and fourth episodes of the acclaimed “Last Dance” documentary detailing the rise and fall of the Michael Jordan Bulls dynasty of the 1990s.
Apparently Karnisovas got so emotional watch it that he decided to deliver the good news to Eversley that same night.
Marc Eversley is committed to bringing back that ’90 swag
For his part, Eversley called getting the GM job a “dream come true” multiple times. He was a Jordan fan like so many others. His goal moving forward is nothing less than bringing a championship back to Chicago. Something long overdue in his estimation. One of his biggest strengths is his personable nature and ability to connect with players. A big reason Karnisovas gravitated to him. No doubt this will help the Bulls in areas like free agency where they’ve routinely struggled for so many years.
He also believes he can take advantage of being a black man in a city like Chicago with its large black communities. Changing the culture and making Bulls basketball cool again. It’s not a terrible idea. Something most fans would welcome. Pulling it off won’t be easy though. The previous regime left a pretty big mess behind. One that will take time to clean up.
