    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [April 3, 1997]
    [Pages 380-381]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the 1996 National Basketball Association Champion
    Chicago Bulls
    April 3, 1997

        The President. Good morning. Please be seated. Just think of me as
    another injured basketball player. [Laughter]
        Congressman Rush; Congressman Jackson; Mr. Cedric Dempsey, the
    executive director of the NCAA; Richard Lapchick, who is with the Center
    for Sport in Society; to the young athletes who are here with us today,
    who have been recognized for their academic achievements and their
    personal heroism as well as their achievements in athletics. We're all
    delighted to be here with our Secretary of Commerce, Bill Daley, and
    half the city of Chicago has come. [Laughter] Will everybody from
    Chicago please raise your hand, be recognized, stand up. [Applause]
    That's good.
        As all of you know, the First Lady is from Chicago, and it's sort of
    become my adopted big city. And around here, we like it when the Bulls
    are doing well, which means that no matter what's in the newspaper in
    Washington every day, I can nearly always find some reason to be happy.
    [Laughter] And believe me, some days we need it more than others.
        On behalf of all of us here and people around the Nation, I want to
    congratulate Jerry Reinsdorf, Phil Jackson, and the entire team on
    winning the 1996 championship and on winning four of the last six
    championships.
        The '96 championship was the first one captured at the United
    Center, and I had that in mind when we picked it for the site of the
    Democratic National Convention last summer. We wanted the home court
    advantage. I think we got it.
        Last year, the Bulls had a record of 72 and 10. And I checked this
    morning; I think it's 63 and 9 now. I'd say that's pretty good. The
    individual Bulls stars are well-known to America, all of them, but I'd
    like to point out that this is a team that plays great defense as well
    as great offense and a team with a great sense of teamwork, a team that
    plays together and works together and tries to win together. It seems to
    me that that's something that we'd all do well to remember. That's one
    of the things I like about the city of Chicago. Whenever I go there, I
    think that it's a city that tends to work because it works together with

    [[Page 381]]

    coherent teams of people and neighborhoods and all walks of life.
        So let me say again, the Chicago Bulls have given America a lot of
    thrills. They've given Chicago a lot of pride. They've produced perhaps
    the greatest basketball dynasty ever and perhaps the greatest basketball
    individual feats ever. But more than anything else, they've given us the
    sense that when people do things together, a lot more is possible.
        Now, I'd like to introduce now Jerry Reinsdorf so we can go on with
    the rest of the program. And meanwhile, I want you to know that in 6
    months I'll be as good as new and available for the next draft.
    [Laughter]
        Thank you.

    [At this point, team owner Jerry Reinsdorf made brief remarks and
    presented the President with a championship watch and Bulls jacket.]

        The President. Think I'll be safe in this in Washington? [Laughter]
    Thank you.

    [Mr. Reinsdorf then introduced coach Phil Jackson and cocaptains Scottie
    Pippen and Michael Jordan.]

        The President. Look at those shoes.

    [Mr. Jackson made brief remarks and presented a Bulls jersey to the
    President.]

        The President. Do I have your permission? [Laughter]
        Thank you.
        Mr. Jackson. Thank you.
        The President. You guys aren't going to speak? You got to say
    something. Come here, Scottie, say something. [Laughter] Everybody from
    Arkansas talks. You have to. [Laughter]

    [Mr. Pippen made brief remarks.]

        The President. Thank you.

    [Mr. Jordan made brief remarks.]

        The President. I want to thank again all the people from Chicago for
    coming. I want to say how proud--I can't help but say that all the
    people that I know, and I know half the town from the little community
    in southeast Arkansas where Scottie Pippen grew up, are still wildly
    proud of him. So it's okay for somebody outside Chicago to like that.
        And I want to say to Michael Jordan, I like your two-tone shoes.
    [Laughter] When I was growing up, all well-bred young Southern boys
    learned to wear two-tone shoes in the springtime--[laughter]--and I'm
    glad you kept up the tradition.
        And finally, I'd like to thank the Bulls for being so good to
    Hillary when she visited them at the United Center recently. And that
    night, she got Dennis Rodman's jersey. It is now freshly washed and
    hanging in the White House in a place of honor.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:02 a.m. at the South Portico at the
    White House.