Bill Walton speaks at the March world premiere of “The Luckiest Guy in the World” at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Bill Walton won two California Interscholastic Federation championships with Helix High School, led the UCLA Bruins to an astonishing record 88 straight wins and two NCAA championships, won an NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers and another with the Boston Celtics. But in the four-part ESPN “30 for 30” documentary series “The Luckiest Guy in the World,” Walton said the game that stands out above all others for him was a first-round c ..read more

The Bulls have to start taking the replacement for Lonzo Ball at point guard serious business, and Orlando’s Jalen Suggs is always all about business. Quinn Harris/Getty The Bulls are in NBA hell. The rest of the league knows it, and if executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is honest with himself, he knows it, as well. After three full seasons on the job, all Karnisovas & Co. have to show for it is rebuilding the Bulls back to mediocrity with limited future draft assets and a salary-cap ceiling that doesn’t match the underachieving talent. Project “Blow ..read more

Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf acquired majority control of the multiplatform sports network Stadium from Sinclair Broadcast Group. Jeff Haynes/AP A potential new home for Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox broadcasts was hiding in plain sight. This week, Front Office Sports reported that Bulls and Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf acquired majority control of the multiplatform sports network Stadium from Sinclair Broadcast Group, with whom he had partnered through his sports media company Silver Chalice. Stadium, which Reinsdorf helped launch in August 2017, was the first over-the-air sp ..read more

Scottie Pippen was a trusted sidekick for Michael Jordan during the Bulls’ dynasty years, but that doesn’t seem to be good enough for him. Andy Hayt/AP You have to wonder what’s going on with Scottie Pippen. Why does he keep saying these things about Michael Jordan? First there was his 2021 book, ‘‘Unguarded,’’ in which he let us know Jordan was arrogant and self-centered. He told us it disgusted him that Jordan had called him ‘‘his best teammate of all time’’ in the 10-part ESPN documentary ‘‘The Last Dance.’’ What was wrong with that? ‘‘I was nothing more than a prop,’’ Pippen wrote ..read more

Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnišovas has a big decision to make this offseason ... one that hopefully doesn’t include chasing fool’s gold. Chicago Bulls NBA rumors and whispers in May never get old. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, however, doesn’t exactly take much joy in swimming in those murky waters. He rather would operate in darkness, with little speculation about his next move. But the Bulls and their immediate future headlined the rumor mill at the NBA Draft Combine last week. Speculation ranged from ..read more

Denver’s Nikola Jokic after winning the Western Conference finals. Harry How/Getty Images Who’s the best big man in the NBA right now? Going into this season, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo might have been the no-brainer answer. The 76ers’ Joel Embiid ended up with the MVP, though, and the Lakers’ Anthony Davis has talent coming out of his ear holes. But the fourth option in this week’s “Polling Place” — your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter — was the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, and he won the vote by a landslide. “Jokic is a game-changing offensive catalyst for the Western Confere ..read more

The NCAA banned the dunk in 1967 because UCLA’s Lew Alcindor was dominating the game. AP A friend recently mentioned that something was a “game changer,’’ which, because I have an aversion to buzzwords, immediately activated my gag reflex. I can’t even remember what the supposedly pivotal item was. A new brand of paper towels? Unless they can wipe up a spill themselves, I can’t picture them enhancing my life. Experience tells me that whatever people are describing as a game changer almost certainly isn’t as big or revolutionary or earth-shaking as they think it is. This particular buzzwor ..read more

Scoot Henderson is second or third on most draft boards, but could there be movement with Portland at No. 3 come draft time next month? Nam Y. Huh/AP There will be no intrigue with the top pick in the NBA Draft when June 22 rolls around. As soon as the Spurs’ logo flashed in that top spot during the lottery Tuesday, Victor Wembanyama was headed to San Antonio. The 7-4 Frenchman has the potential to put the Spurs back atop the Western Conference. That doesn’t mean there won’t be drama at the top of the draft, specifically with the Trail Blazers at No. 3. They need to add proven talent now ..read more