SportsTalk Live: Remembering Bulls assistant Johnny Bach

Share

Former Bulls assistant Johnny Bach passed away Monday at the age of 91. SportsTalk Live host David Kaplan remembered Bach with a story the coach told him years ago, and said could only be shared once Bach "was gone."

"So the Bulls are playing the Lakers in the '91 Finals. Bulls lose Game 1 at home. They win Game 2 and they go out to L.A. and the Forum isn't available for practice. They go to this high school gym to practice. The Lakers are using the floor, too. He goes, 'The Lakers come out, the Bulls go in. I go over to spit in the garbage can and I look, and there's Mike Dunleavy's practice plan.' He goes, 'It's torn in pieces. There is snot, there is tobacco, there is half-drank soda pop. Chewing gum, everything's in there.' He goes, 'I take the plastic bag out, I bring it back to my hotel room.' He gets rubber gloves. He goes, 'And I stay up all night and I put this together like a jigsaw puzzle. I call Phill and I go, we got 'em!' And the Bulls never lost another game in that series."

CSN Bulls analyst Kendall Gill, who played under Bach in both Chicago and Charlotte, remembered the assistant for his quotes, many stemming from his time serving in the navy.

"Just a tough, tough guy," Gill said. "Yet even through all his toughness you grew to love him. And of course he all know he served in the Navy, and he would always bring out these quotes. One of the ones I remember most is, 'I don't care how rough the seas are. Bring the ship in.' He used to say that all the time."

See what else Kaplan, Gill and the rest of the SportsTalk Live panel had to say about Bach in the video above.

Michael Jordan also released a statement on the passing of Bach:

 

Contact Us