Lazenby Roland. Blood on the Horns. The Long Strange Ride of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls

Diversion Books, 2013. — 453 p.Blood on the Horns - The Long Strange Ride of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls by Roland Lazenby is a must-read book. Unless you slept through the 1990s, you probably know that Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls ran roughshod over the NBA for the better part of a decade. Like the Lakers before them and the Celtics before that, the Bulls have sustained a level of play that is simply unmatched by their contemporaries. But there's a dark cloud to this red and black lining. In writing Blood on the Horns, author Roland Lazenby followed the team through the '97-'98 campaign as they struggled to attain their sixth NBA title in the past seven years. While it was no secret that a rift had for years existed between the Bulls' management and players, by season's end Lazenby found that bad blood, bruised egos, and harsh words had created an untenable and openly hostile atmosphere. "Where there's money and success and vast public attention, there are usually immensely complicated personality conflicts." And that goes double for the Chicago Bulls. To decipher the mixed messages surrounding this internecine power struggle, Lazenby conducted extensive interviews with superstars and role players, including Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson, Toni Kukoc, Horace Grant, Scott Burrell, Bill Cartwright, Luc Longley, and many more, determining who said what to whom, when it happened, and why. The story he uncovers is an intriguing melodrama, equal parts fascination and despair. Men may very well be boys, but it's shocking to find one of the greatest dynasties in the history of basketball tearing itself apart over what amounts to a pissing match. This book describes in greatest detail the friction between players, coaches, and management of the Chicago Bulls during their 1997-98 season which was subsequently well-documented in the TV series ‘The Last Dance’.Dick Klein, who was the Chicago Bulls founder, described his work with designers in 1966 to create the team’s logo in the following manner: “I wanted the Bull to be a true bull, in a bull fight. You know, he’s a big and black thing with long horns and red eyes and mean. I wanted a mean looking Bull. Most of the early submissions were of full bodies. The Bull with his head down, that sorta thing. I said, ‘I want a face. Gimme a face.’ Then they gave me a face that looked real good. Now, I said, ‘All we have to do is make his eyes red. I want blood on his nose, or red nostrils, and blood on his horns.’ Which they did. They did a beautiful job. That became our symbol.”