Twice in the last three months, the contrast to where the Bulls have been and where they are now has stood out in stark detail.
At the NBA All-Star game in February, as A-list athletes and celebrities celebrated the city of Chicago’s rich basketball history, the Bulls’ lone appearance came when Zach LaVine participated in the 3-point shootout.
Now, as millions of viewers relive the Bulls’ glory days through the dynasty’s portrayal in ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary, the current team sits at 22 victories, on hiatus with the rest of the NBA because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
General manager Marc Eversley, officially introduced on Friday, can’t pair with new executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to right fortunes overnight. But his arrival, like that of Karnisovas, speaks to Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf’s desire to modernize the front office.
Relationships matter. And like Karnisovas — who was born in Lithuania, played collegiately stateside and professionally for several prominent European teams before working for the NBA and two other franchises — Eversley draws from rich life experience and a wide background to understand that.
Born in London to immigrant parents, and raised in Canada, Eversley worked for Nike before three teams hired him. Karnisovas cited “his connection with grassroots programs” as an attractive quality during the interview process.
“Nike is a powerful brand,” Eversley said during a video interview with NBC Sports Chicago. “I was fortunate enough to represent Nike when we were able to go out and sign athletes. My responsibility was to sign champions, sign winners. And I think I did a great job doing that.
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“Nike is such a powerful force in the sports industry. And really, it was the first time in my career where I actually saw the power of a brand. I want to bring some of those lessons that I’ve learned at Nike and bring them to the Bulls. Watching ‘The Last Dance,’ you really see what the power of a brand can do and how it can move people.”
During an earlier conference call with reporters, including NBC Sports Chicago, Eversley cited his early days running sports marketing at Nike Canada as critical to understanding this lifeblood. After all, basketball always will trail hockey as that nation’s main love.
“Basketball was kind of an up-and-coming thing that was kind of gimmicky. But we were committed to pounding the rock, per se, and really trying to grow the game of basketball,” Eversley said on the conference call. “Steve Nash was obviously a huge part of that, building relationships with him through the federation and Canada Basketball was critical to my penetration to the U.S. market.”
Former Raptors executive Bryan Colangelo hired Eversley away from Nike. And in Toronto, Eversley formed such a close relationship with Raptors All-Star Vince Carter that he stood up at Carter’s wedding and currently serves as the godfather to his daughter.
“Those are the types of things that relationships can do for you. They can help move the needle,” Eversley said on the conference call. “I remain very close with Vince today. And you can ultimately say that Vince changed basketball in Toronto because when Vince was really being Vince, they were the No. 1 draw on the road. That’s when kids in Canada really started to see that basketball could be cool.”
The Bulls are a globally iconic brand. They used to be cool, or at least cooler than they are now. That obviously is rooted more in the exploits of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and even Derrick Rose than the current product.
That Eversley recognizes this, and also the value of lasting relationships, could be beneficial moving forward.
“I’m still extremely close to a lot of the guys at Nike today. That really taught me the true value of connecting the dots – is what we used to say. Relationships move the needle in this business, and it really starts at the grassroots,” Eversley said on the conference call. “I was fortunate enough to work at Nike at a time when LeBron James and players like that were coming up through the system. It really taught me the value of relationships. It taught me the value of a brand, really. Nike is one of the most powerful brands in the world.
“Back (during the dynasty), the Bulls were one of the strongest brands in the NBA. It’s my hope that I can take some of the lessons that I’ve learned at Nike and implement them here with Chicago as a goal to get the Chicago Bulls back to relevancy and get that brand back to where it’s cool again and kids want to be part of it.”
Winning is the ultimate cool factor. So all these relationships matter little if they don’t translate to success on the court. Eversley and Karnisovas know that.
What stands out about Eversley’s take on relationships is how genuine and longstanding they need to be.
Flush with his new ascension, he could try to distance himself from Colangelo after Colangelo’s difficult departure from the 76ers. Instead, he thanked the man who not only gave him his NBA start but also hired him again in Philadelphia.
“He really taught me what the NBA is all about. He taught me about the rhythm and the flow of an NBA season, what the playoffs look like,” Eversley said on the conference call. “He taught me professionalism. I pride myself on how I carry myself. I pride myself on how I approach people. I pride myself on practicing humility. Those types of values that he instilled in me early in my career stayed with me. He's had a tremendous impact on my career to date. Here's a kid who was 3,000 miles away from home and got an opportunity to come and work for his hometown club. And Bryan gave me that opportunity and I’m forever indebted to him for that.”
Eversley also had strong praise for current Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who, along with 76ers GM Elton Brand, is also on Colangelo’s executive tree.
“Masai has been like a brother to me. He's clearly one of the sharpest executives in all of sports right now,” Eversley said on the conference call. “He really introduced me to the art of scouting and how to truly evaluate talent and I owe him for that. My time in Toronto was unbelievable.”
So, yeah, relationships matter. They matter when the Bulls, at least for now, have clean books headed into 2021 free agency. They matter in Karnisovas’ and Eversley’s vision to restore the Bulls’ brand.
“I think it’s one of the things I bring to the table is my ability to build strong relationships, not only with players, but also executives and agents around the league. But particularly with players,” Eversley said in the video interview with NBC Sports Chicago. “I think there’s a gift and an art to getting to know these players. I don’t think it’s always necessarily going to take place on the court. I think if you truly invest in players and get to know them as human beings away from the court, that breaks down a lot of barriers. I think if you break down a lot of barriers, that’s really when you can start to implement some change and invest in them as people first and players second.
“Ultimately, what you’re looking for is growth on the court. I’m looking forward to meeting all our guys and starting to build some of those relationships and figure out how we can help them grow."
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