CHICAGO (AP) — The tears flowed as soon as Bryson Graham got the call from the Chicago Bulls. Once they stopped, he turned his attention to the task at hand.
Graham has a big job trying to lift a struggling franchise after Chicago hired him as executive vice president of basketball operations on Monday. Though he's from San Antonio and rooted for the Spurs, he was also a fan of the Bulls growing up in the 1990s. He understands what the team means to the city and the NBA, decades after Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen captured their sixth championship.
“When I think about it and I think about the greatness that’s in this building and what’s in these rafters and the championships that have been won here, it’s amazing," Graham said Wednesday at his introductory news conference. “It impacted my life more than I thought I knew because I was always chasing what this organization represented. You see M.J., and obviously I wanted to be him just like everybody wanted. I wanted that, but it carried over in other aspects of my life, so like my work ethic, my determination, my grit. I’m watching the Bulls and what they displayed and I’m like, ‘That’s what I want.’”
Graham spent this season as Atlanta's senior vice president of basketball operations after a 15-year run in New Orleans’ front office, during which he climbed from intern to general manager. In Chicago, he has his work cut out for him.
The Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley in early April after six years and one postseason appearance. Chicago finished 12th in the Eastern Conference at 31-51 while missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
One of Graham's most important tasks will be hiring a coach. Naismith Hall of Famer Billy Donovan opted to resign after six years, avoiding a potentially awkward situation with new management, even though owner Jerry Reinsdorf hoped to retain him.
Graham said he hasn't yet put together a list of candidates. He said he is looking for someone who is strong on both sides and isn't necessarily a defensive or offensive specialist, and head coaching experience is not a requirement.
“Let’s find the most competent, most talented people,” Graham said. “That could be a coach that you may not even heard of, and I may get killed for it. But if I believe in him, I’m behind him.”
Graham wants to build out the front office and support staff. President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf insisted that Graham will have the financial resources to do just that. He also said he won't stop Graham from exceeding the luxury-tax threshold when the team is competitive.
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“If we’re competing for championships, we expect that we’ll probably be in the luxury tax, and totally OK with that,” Reinsdorf said. “I don’t want to be in luxury tax for a team that’s not in the playoffs, but if he did, then he wouldn’t be the right guy.”
The Bulls have a long way to go before they're title contenders. But with nearly $60 million projected in salary-cap space and two first-round picks, they have the potential to take significant steps this offseason.
Chicago hasn't been a serious contender in the Eastern Conference since Derrick Rose was in his prime a decade-and-a-half ago. Its most recent All-Star was DeMar DeRozan in 2023, and the lack of a franchise player has been a glaring weakness for years.
“It’s going to take time,” Graham said. “I think the roster, we’re in the developmental stage right now. I think everyone in here knows that we’re not where we want to be.”
Graham knows a thing or two about putting in time. He went from unloading boxes on his first day as an intern with New Orleans in 2010 to becoming the team's GM, and he still keeps a picture on his phone of himself performing that grunt work.
“That photo to me just means like that’s who I am, you know,” he said. “I don’t mind doing the little things that are necessary. ... I got to be ready to pull up my sleeves because we’re at the ground floor. And that picture represents that to me.”
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