Chicago Bulls

Wanna have as many rings as Michael Jordan?? Now's your chance ... 'cause a complete set of all 6 Chicago Bulls championship rings has hit the auction block!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the rings belonged to longtime Bulls security guard John Capps, who worked with the team from 1966 until he passed away in 2018.

Capps was an absolute legend in Chi-Town -- he developed a strong relationship with MJ and other Bulls greats over the years ... and was featured in ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary.

Scottie Pippen also recently revealed Jordan and Capps would bet on jumbotron races during games, even though #23 already knew the outcome by asking the video team in advance.

The collection of 1991-93 and 1996-98 rings are up for grabs via Huggins & Scott Auctions individually ... and we're told they could fetch a huge chunk of change.

FYI -- coming across a complete set is hard to come by -- but it's happened before. H&A also listed official scorer Bob Rosenberg's 6 rings back in February ... and estimated the value to be $300k!!

So, why buy just one when you can have all 6?!

The auction runs through October 22 ... so ya still got a few more days to save up!!

Imagine being at a restaurant ... and in walks Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Richard Dent and Don King.

That's exactly what happened to a couple back in 1988, who commemorated the moment by getting all the legends to sign their menu ... and now it's up for auction!!!

Hindman Auctions tells TMZ Sports ... the power squad showed up at Lino’s Ristorante in Chicago to celebrate Dent's 28th birthday.

As it turns out, the night was pretty well documented in Tyson's ex-trainer Rory Holloway's memoir, who claims Tyson was LIVID with MJ at dinner over suspicions the Bulls legend had a fling with his then-separated wife Robin Givens.

The book claims Tyson was on the verge of fighting MJ ... but apparently cooler heads prevailed when it came to the restaurant manager asking the superstars to sign the menu for the couple in attendance.

Now, the couple is looking to part ways with the unique piece of history -- it's hitting the auction block via Hindman Auctions on Oct. 20 ... and we're told this thing could sell for thousands, if not 5 figures!!!

Scottie Pippen is channeling his inner McKayla Maroney -- saying he's just "not impressed" with the Chicago Bulls new head coach.

FYI, the Bulls just signed Billy Donovan to a brand new 4-year, $24 million contract last week in the hopes Billy can finally help turn the franchise back into winners.

Speaking of winners, Pippen -- who won 6 'chips with the Bulls -- weighed in on the move during an interview with Forbes and man, he's not happy.

"If you’re looking at it from a fan perspective, I’m not impressed with what they did," Pippen said.

"I don’t think that they have made any dramatic changes that are going to change who they are as a team. That’s just my personal opinion. I like Billy Donovan as a person but I don’t think he’s proved anything in the NBA that proves he’s worth investing in and bringing a team up that needs help like Chicago does."

Remember, Donovan coached OKC with 2 MVPs -- Kevin Durant until 2016 and Russell Westbrook until 2019 -- and still came up short from winning the title.

Donovan was 243–157 during his 5 seasons in OKC -- and made the playoffs every year ... though he only advanced out of the 1st round one time.

Pippen says he just doesn't think Donovan has that certain X-factor that will help change the culture in Chicago.

"[The Bulls are] a team that has been struggling for a long time. To me, I don’t see the value he brings to them. He’s going to be a coach but there are a lot of them out there. He didn’t do anything special in OKC that warranted him a second opportunity. That’s just my opinion."

Also worth noting, Pippen used to work for the Bulls as an advisor -- but got fired from his gig back in 2019.

After the move, Pippen took a shot at the Bulls. -- saying, "It's probably a good thing, right? ... I like to associate myself with winning."

Travis Scott had permission from the GOAT to shoot visuals for his newest track ... getting a personal blessing from Michael Jordan to make it happen at his famous Illinois mansion!!!

Cactus Jack just dropped his new hit, "FRANCHISE," with Young Thug and M.I.A. this week ... and His Airness' Highland Park home is heavily featured in the music video.

TMZ Sports has learned ... 29-year-old Travis -- who takes pride in his creativity -- thought the NBA legend's $14.8 MILLION pad would be the perfect set for his vid ... so he hit up MJ to get his approval.

We're told the decision was a complete no-brainer ... with Jordan giving his thumbs-up "without hesitation."

The connection is pretty organic -- Travis has released several signature colorways for the Air Jordan 1, 4 and 6 sneakers via his lucrative deal with Nike ... and has been loyal to the Swoosh for years.

As for the video, the place is recognizable off the rip -- the "23" being displayed at the gate is a dead giveaway.

On top of that, the indoor court's "Jumpman" logo featuring MJ's kids' names is seen during the vid ... as well as the epic backyard with pool and putting greens.

And, good news for those who fell in love with the house from the video -- it's currently for sale!!

Talk about good advertising.

Steve Kerr's Chicago Bulls shorts -- rocked by the sharpshooter when he knocked down one of the most historic shots in NBA history -- just hit the auction block.

The white Champion brand shorts are from Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals ... where Michael Jordan's Bulls squad took on Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz.

The Bulls led the series, 3-2 ... heading in to Game 6 at the United Center on June 13, 1997. It was a super tight game that went down to the wire.

With 5 seconds left in the game -- and the Bulls trailing by 1 point -- the Jazz defense expected Jordan to attempt the game-winning shot.

However, Jordan kicked it out to a wide-open Kerr -- who nailed a 17-foot dagger of a jump shot -- securing the Bulls 5th NBA Championship.

FYI -- Kerr scored 9 points. Jordan dropped 39.

The shorts -- photomatched to ensure authenticity -- are on the auction block at Lelands Auctions.

Kerr -- who autographed the shorts -- has called the shot the most memorable moment of his 15 season NBA playing career.

The auction is currently underway ... and there have been multiple bids around $1,500.

Michael Jordan is contradicting Michael Jordan ... and it's all on tape.

Remember when MJ said on "The Last Dance" that he didn't have any specific involvement in blocking Isiah Thomas from being on the legendary dream team?

Yeah, well ... now audio has surfaced from an old interview in which MJ says straight-up he told 1992 Olympics selection committee member Rod Thorn he's OUT if Thomas makes the team.

It's all on Jack McCallum's 'The Dream Team Tapes' iHeartRadio podcast -- here's the transcription.

"Rod Thorn called me. I said, ‘Rod, I won’t play if Isiah Thomas is on the team.' He assured me. He said, 'You know what? Chuck [Chuck Daly] doesn’t want Isiah. So, Isiah is not going to be part of the team.'"

So, which Michael Jordan do you believe?!

Of course, there was SERIOUS bad blood between MJ and Thomas after the Pistons walked off the floor without shaking hands with the Chicago Bulls in the '91 NBA Playoffs.

For his part, Thomas admits he's still "personally hurt" he was not asked to be a part of that legendary '92 dream team -- and back in April, he said it's all because he didn't shake Michael Jordan's hand.

"The Last Dance" wasn't just huge for Michael Jordan fans -- it's provided a HUGE boost for The Alan Parsons Project ... with people playing MJ's famous intro music in record numbers.

You know the song ... it echoed throughout Chicago Stadium and the United Center every single time MJ's Chicago Bulls squad was intro'd before a game.

The Bulls played "Sirius" by T.A.P.P. -- which was originally released in 1982 -- during their epic 6-title run between 1991 and 1998.

But, with the success of "The Last Dance," the good people at Spotify tell us there has been a huge surge of interest in the song ... in 2020.

We're told plays have gone up 335% across the world since the series premiered on April 19.

Fact of the matter is ... the song still slaps -- especially if you have a basketball hoop in your driveway, and you still have the urge to Be Like Mike!!

The Bulls STILL use "Sirius" at home games ... but have swapped out The Alan Parsons Project version for renditions from local musicians.

Michael Jordan is coming clean about his epic flu game performance in the 1997 NBA Finals ... saying he didn't actually have the flu -- it was some bad pizza.

Remember, #23 was dealing with "flu-like symptoms" before a crucial Game 5 against the Utah Jazz ... and fought through the pain for a 38-point performance to give the Bulls a 3-2 lead.

But, MJ's trainer, Tim Grover, revealed it was actually food poisoning -- not the flu -- that had Jordan under the weather ... after a late-night order from the only place that was open -- a pizza shop.

When the pie was delivered, Grover says 5 dudes pulled up to Jordan's hotel room ... and the trainer hinted there could have been something fishy going on, saying, "I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

Glover's instincts were right ... 'cause MJ woke up at 2 AM "throwing up left and right."

"So, it really wasn’t the flu game. It was food poisoning," MJ admitted on ESPN's "The Last Dance."

MJ's mom thought it was best he didn't play ... but as we all know, he didn't listen and went on to put up one of the most iconic performances of his career.

Michael Jordan says he socked Steve Kerr in the face during a fight at Bulls practice back in 1995 ... and said he felt so badly about it afterward, he had to call the guy to apologize.

"I'm in the shower and I'm saying, 'I just beat up the littlest guy on the f*cking court,'" Jordan said. "And, I felt about this small."

Jordan admitted to all of it in the eighth episode of "The Last Dance" docuseries Sunday ... explaining how Phil Jackson calling "ticky-tack" fouls in a training camp workout led to MJ roughing up the future head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Jordan says in the preseason after his return to the NBA from a failed baseball career ... he was trying to get his new teammates like Kerr to understand what it would take for Chicago to win another championship.

Yet MJ claims Jackson attempted to "tone me down" in one particularly aggressive practice ... and that pissed off the NBA legend to the point where he intentionally fouled Kerr.

That's when Steve says he punched MJ in the chest ... and Jordan responded with this -- "I just haul off and hit him right in the f*cking eye."

Jordan says he knew he was wrong almost immediately ... and called Kerr shortly after to say he was sorry.

"I feel bad," Jordan says he told Kerr.

But, the good news? Kerr says standing up to Jordan was "the best thing that I ever did" ... and says their relationship "dramatically improved" afterward.

Of course, later that season the Bulls won 72 regular-season games and took home the NBA championship ... prompting Steve to say, "that season has to be the best team I've ever been a part of."

Michael Jordan hated losing so much, he wouldn't allow HIS OWN teammate to eat after bad games -- reportedly taking food off Horace Grant's table some nights in the '90s!

Legendary Bulls reporter Sam Smith revealed the insane story this week ... saying players told him MJ would make airline stewardesses skip Grant on team planes after games if he sucked earlier in the day.

"Players would come to me over the years and said, 'You know what he did? He took Horace's food away on the plane because Horace had a bad game,'" Smith said on the Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks Podcast.

"He told the stewardesses, 'Don’t feed him, he doesn’t deserve to eat!'"

Of course, Jordan and Grant won A LOT together -- so it's unclear how often MJ pulled the savage move ... but it's well known the two didn't exactly have the best relationship regardless.

Their friction has been touched on several times in ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary ... with Jordan even accusing Grant on the show of leaking stories in the '90s to paint him in a bad light.

Michael Jordan was SO insanely famous in Chicago during his Bulls days -- he couldn't even shop for groceries without being mobbed.

So, the guy would pay staffers to keep the store open JUST FOR HIM so he could cruise the aisles alone in peace!

Pretty baller, right!?

Jordan's former Bulls teammate Brad Sellers explained to The Undefeated ...

"You saw MJ doing laundry in the first few episodes [of ESPN's 'The Last Dance'] and that was him back then, the country side of him, just living like a regular dude."

“But, he just got bigger and bigger in basketball and to a point where he couldn’t go out. I remember saying to him one day, ‘Hey, M ... how do you eat?'"

"He told me he would call Jewel-Osco [a supermarket chain based in Chicago] about 15 minutes before they closed, and let them know he was coming in. They would stay open later to let him shop."

Sellers says MJ would break off staffers with a fat ass tip for their troubles.

So, MJ got his own version of "Supermarket Sweep" and the workers got some extra bread and the chance to see the most famous dude in Chi-Town?

Isiah Thomas admits he's still "personally hurt" he was not asked to be a part of that legendary '92 Dream Team -- and it's obvious he thinks it's all because he didn't shake Michael Jordan's hand.

Remember, Thomas and his Pistons teammates infamously walked off the court after getting their asses kicked by the '91 Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conf. Finals without shaking hands.

Thomas, now 58, was not only villainized in the media for being a bad sport -- but Michael Jordan took the snub personally. They still don't get along.

The incident was featured in Sunday's new episode of "The Last Dance" ... and Monday morning, Thomas had more to add when he joined ESPN's "Get Up."

"Why I'm personally hurt is another reason why I'm here," Thomas said ... "Because being left off the Dream Team, that personally hurt me."

Thomas says he doesn't know why he was not selected -- but it's obvious he believes it's because he dissed Michael Jordan by not shaking his hand after that '91 series.

Thomas -- one of the best NBA players alive at the time -- says his resume should have made him a lock for the Dream Team, which is why he thinks the non-selection had nothing to do with his talent.

"If I'm not apart of the Dream Team because a lapse in emotion in terms of not shaking someone's hand ... if that's the reason why I didn't make the Dream Team, then I am more disappointed today than I was back then when I wasn't selected."

Thomas -- who had made the NBA All-Star team every year from '82 to '93 -- explained, "The only thing that's missing from my resume is not being on the Dream Team."

The man's got a point -- Thomas was one of the best players in the league at the time ... and had 2 NBA titles and was a 10-time All-Star at the time.

It's something Thomas has stressed for years ... he revealed in 2013 he felt disrespected by the Bulls, but would "absolutely" shake hands if he could do it all over again.

Larsa Pippen wants to make it crystal clear -- Scottie Pippen is NOT strapped for cash ... despite that god-awful deal he signed back in the day, which was a major story pointing the new MJ doc.

One of the biggest takeaways from episode 2 of "The Last Dance" was Pippen's incredibly bad 7-year, $18 million deal ... which made him one of the most undervalued players in the league.

Despite being Michael Jordan's wingman, Scottie was widely considered one of the best players in the Association during the '90s ... but couldn't crack the top 100 in earnings while in Chicago.

And, on top of that, there were rumors for YEARS that Scottie was broke as a joke even after his NBA career.

But, Scottie's estranged wife, Larsa, is stepping up to defend the Bulls legend ... clapping back at the haters by pointing to his 17-year career earnings -- $109 MILLION!

"Thx for your concerns Scottie did ok," Larsa wrote.

BTW -- Larsa filed for divorce back in November 2018, but they don't seem to be in a rush to officially cut ties. Court records show the divorce case is still technically active, but no one is really pushing to get it done.

So, could the doc actually bring Scottie and Larsa closer together and SAVE their marriage???

Stranger things have happened ...

As for the deal, Scottie explained he signed it because his family needed the money at the time ... and he was afraid of suffering a career-ending injury that would kill the gravy train altogether.

Bad decision? Of course, but after banking $109 MIL ... seems he's doing okay.

The new Michael Jordan documentary has a funny way of describing kiiinda important people in U.S. history -- like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton -- but hey ... they aren't wrong.

On Sunday, ESPN aired the first two episodes of "The Last Dance" -- and while they were talking about MJ's early years at UNC and eventually with the Bulls ... they brought in former Presidents Obama and Clinton.

Funny enough, the producers didn't seem interested in highlighting either guy's political career ... referring to Bubba as "Bill Clinton, Former Arkansas Governor" and Barry as "Former Chicago Resident." Disrespectful? Eh, maybe. Hilarious??? Abso-freakin'-lutely!

Here's the thing ... the odd title choices aren't incorrect. Yes, Bill was the governor of AR once upon a time before he made a run at the White House in the early '90s -- and he WAS discussing Scottie Pippen's days at the University of Central Arkansas.

And sure, Barack, the former U.S. Senator and Prez WAS talking about what Chi-Town was like when MJ first arrived.

Were Michael Jordan's rookie teammates part of a "Traveling Cocaine Circus"???

The NBA's G.O.A.T. didn't exactly deny that ... confirming during his 1984-85 rookie year -- he caught his Chicago teammates having a party with blow, weed and women out in Peoria, Ill.

"I walk in, and practically the whole team is in there," Jordan said as part of one of his sit-down interviews for ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary.

"It was things I had never seen in my life as a young kid. You got your lines over here, you got your weed smokers over here, you got your women over here.”

Jordan -- who had spent the previous three years at the University of North Carolina -- says the incident caused him to be an immediate loner on his new team.

"The first thing I said is, 'I'm out,'" Jordan said. "Because all I can think about is if they come raid this place right now, I am just as guilty as everyone else in this room. From that point on, I was more or less on my own."

Jordan's teammate at the time, Rod Higgins, confirmed MJ never partook in the partying that year ... saying the guy didn't even drink with his new NBA squadmates.

"Whatever somebody else might have been doing off the court, if it was partying or whatever, that wasn’t part of what he wanted to do,” Higgins said. "Orange juice and 7-Up was his go-to."

Turned out to be a pretty good move for Jordan ... he went on to change the culture of the Bulls and win SIX championships.

See, kids? Don't do drugs.