Yet his durability and scoring dependability over those six seasons during one of the franchise’s most memorable eras cemented his status as one of the Bulls’ all-time greats.

Walker, who averaged 20.6 points while missing just 18 games and making four All-Star teams in Chicago, has died, the Bulls confirmed to the Tribune on Saturday evening. He was 84.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Chet Walker, a legendary figure in our team’s history,” the Bulls said in a statement. “Chet left an indelible mark on the court and in the hearts of fans. His skill, dedication and contributions to the game made a lasting impact on the sport of basketball and the city of Chicago. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who were touched by his legacy.”

Walker died Saturday in Long Beach, Calif., after a long illness, according to an article on the Bulls website.

Nicknamed “Chet the Jet” for his agility, Walker teamed with fellow forward Bob Love to form a potent scoring pair. Along with the fiery backcourt of Norm Van Lier and Jerry Sloan and anchored in the middle by Tom Boerwinkle, the Bulls posted four straight 50-win seasons and advanced to two straight Western Conference finals under coach Dick Motta at a time the fledgling franchise became more identifiable with the blue-collar, hardworking city.

“That basically laid the foundation for basketball in Chicago,” Walker said during his 2012 Hall of Fame acceptance speech in Springfield, Mass.

The Bulls acquired Walker in a September 1969 trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, for whom he had started on what some consider one of the best teams of all time. Led by Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham, the 1966-67 76ers went 68-13 and defeated the San Francisco Warriors in the NBA Finals, only to be broken up two years later.

With his strong face-up game, devastating pump fake and knack for clutch scoring, Walker quickly put to rest any whispers that the 76ers traded him because his game was in decline. He averaged 21.5 points his first season in Chicago, helping the Bulls make the playoffs.

All 13 of Walker’s teams advanced to the postseason.

“He was as clutch a player as you could have,” Boerwinkle once told the Tribune.

Walker was inducted into the inaugural class of the Bulls Ring of Honor in January.

Photos: Meet the 13 Chicago Bulls’ inaugural Ring of Honor class

Born Feb. 22, 1940, as the youngest of 10 children in rural Mississippi, Chester “Chet” Walker was raised by a strong, single mother who moved the family to Benton Harbor, Mich. Walker overcame poverty to earn a scholarship to Bradley University in Peoria, where he earned two All-America nods and won NIT titles in 1957 and 1960.

The Syracuse Nationals, who moved to Philadelphia to become the 76ers, drafted him in the second round. Walker made the All-Rookie team and played in seven All-Star games.

He averaged 19.2 points in 1974-75, his final season, and didn’t enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until 2012 via the veterans committee. In several interviews, Walker attributed the wait to his leadership role with the players union, which included a lawsuit against the Bulls and NBA.

“I think I was blacklisted,” Walker matter-of-factly told the Tribune in 2007, alluding to both the end of his career and the wait for the Hall of Fame.

Motta, with whom the soft-spoken Walker never got along, rejected his star forward’s contract demands before that season. Motta and Bulls ownership also refused Walker’s demand that he be traded or released.

So Walker sued the Bulls and the NBA for violation of federal antitrust laws. He reached a settlement but never played again.

Along with union President Larry Fleischer and prominent player representatives Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy, Walker also played a leading role in trying to block NBA owners who wanted to limit bidding wars for players by merging with the upstart American Basketball Association.

Though the merger ultimately happened in 1976, provisions were allowed for free agency that began an economic renaissance for players — but not for Walker. Meanwhile, the Bulls’ golden era ended. They plummeted from 47 victories to 24 without Walker.

After his playing career, Walker moved to Hollywood and began a career as a movie producer. He won an Emmy award for his made-for-TV movie, “A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story.” The film focused on the strength of Isiah Thomas’ mother in raising nine children as a single parent on Chicago’s West Side.

Walker has said in many interviews that Mary Thomas reminded him of his own mother’s sacrifices. Isiah Thomas stood on stage as one of Walker’s presenters during his Hall of Fame speech.

“People would come into the old Chicago Stadium, and it was so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think,” Walker said during the induction. “I love Chicago — great city, great town, great people.”

K.C. Johnson is a former Chicago Tribune sports reporter.

Here’s a look at his most memorable moments with the Bulls.

June 23, 2010

Thibodeau turns down offers from the Nets and New Orleans Hornets to become the 18th coach in franchise history. “I’ll be well-prepared,” he said. “I’m serious about my job. I’m going to work.”

March 6, 2011

Threatening to separate his shoulder with a fist pump for the ages, Thibodeau celebrated a taut 87-86 road victory over the Heat that defined a 62-win season that earned Coach of the Year honors.

April 16, 2012

A late fade in a home loss to the lowly Wizards prompts perhaps the most memorable quote from Thibodeau’s tenure: “Everyone has to do their job. Do. Your. Job.”

May 4, 2013

No victory better defined Thibodeau’s “we have more than enough to win” mantra than a Game 7 road triumph over the Nets in which Joakim Noah starred and Thibodeau used unheralded players like Marquis Teague and Daequan Cook to withstand injuries to Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng.

August 11, 2015

In his first interview since the Bulls fired him, Thibodeau, working with USA Basketball, took the high road. “I have no regrets,” he said.

The McLeansboro, Ill., native was a two-time All-Star for the Bulls, whom he later coached, and long will be associated with backcourt mate Norm Van Lier as the defensive backbone for the Dick Motta-led Bulls.

“Jerry Sloan was ‘The Original Bull’ whose tenacious defense and nightly hustle on the court represented the franchise and epitomized the city of Chicago,” Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “Jerry was the face of the Bulls organization from its inception through the mid-1970s, and very appropriately, his uniform No. 4 was the first jersey retired by the team.

“A great player and a Hall of Fame NBA coach, most importantly, Jerry was a great person. Our sympathies go out to the Sloan family and all his many fans.”

Sloan went on to coach the Utah Jazz for nearly 23 seasons and led them to the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals against the Bulls, losing both series. Sloan entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2009 in the same class as his longtime Jazz point guard, John Stockton.

As a coach and player, Sloan was known for his toughness. Jerry Krause scouted Sloan during his college career at Evansville and later helped select him with the fourth pick in the 1965 NBA draft for the Baltimore Bullets.

“I would go to his games and chart how many fouls he took,” Krause told the Tribune in a 2016 interview. “He’d get bowled over 10 times a game. He didn’t care.”

The Bulls picked Sloan in the 1966 expansion draft, and he played the rest of his career in Chicago. In 11 NBA seasons, he averaged 14 points and 7.4 rebounds and was a six-time All-Defensive Team selection. He remains the only NBA player to average more than seven rebounds and more than two steals for his career.

“He would make the All-Star team today just on his defense,” longtime Bulls teammate Bob Love said in 2017. “These guys now running down the floor? Nobody would’ve wanted to mess with Jerry. He was tough as nails.”

After coaching the Bulls for two-plus seasons from 1979 to ’82, Sloan joined the Jazz as an assistant coach in 1985 and took over for coach Frank Layden 18 games into the 1988-89 season. Sloan remained in that position until abruptly resigning Feb. 10, 2011, a day after a home game against the Bulls.

“My time is up and it’s time to move on,” an emotional Sloan said at a news conference in Salt Lake City announcing his retirement. “It’s a long time to be in one organization. I’ve been blessed. Today is a new day. When I get this over with, I’ll feel better.”

In Sloan’s 21 full seasons and parts of two others, the Jazz went 1,127-682 (.623) and made 15 consecutive playoff appearances from 1989 to 2003. He is one of only two coaches to win 1,000 games with one franchise; Gregg Popovich, who has 1,272 victories in 24 seasons with the Spurs, is the other.

Between the Bulls and Jazz, Sloan’s career record was 1,221-803. Only three coaches have more wins: Don Nelson with 1,335, Lenny Wilkens with 1,332 and Popovich.

“It was an honor and a privilege to have one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history coaching our team,” the Miller family, which owns the Jazz, said in a statement. “We have appreciated our relationship with Jerry and acknowledge his dedication to and passion for the Utah Jazz.

“He has left an enduring legacy with this franchise and our family. The far-reaching impact of his life has touched our city, state and the world as well as countless players, staff and fans.”

As unassuming off the court as he was competitive on it, Sloan was known for wearing John Deere hats while not on the sidelines. He loved returning to his farm in southern Illinois, where he was an all-state player for McLeansboro High School, to tinker on his tractor and antique furniture collection.

The youngest of 10 children, Sloan was raised by a single mother after his father died when Jerry was 4. He used to tell stories about waking up at dawn to do farm chores and then walking from tiny Gobbler’s Knob for early basketball practice at McLeansboro.

Logan held down the Bulls beat at the Tribune for several seasons, getting help from Bill Jauss and Robert Markus when the Dick Motta era crashed and burned with a seven-game loss in the Western Conference finals. Larry Casey, Ed Stone and Fred Mitchell graced the Tribune’s pages on the beat as well. Bob Sakamoto covered Michael Jordan’s rookie season. Melissa Isaacson elegantly detailed the first three-peat. The late, great Terry Armour humorously and indefatigably detailed the second three-peat.

And this doesn’t even account for the Hall of Fame career of NBA writer Sam Smith, who often had Bulls news first and covered the beat for the first title season, or the lyrical stylings of columnists Bob Verdi and Bernie Lincicome and feature writer extraordinaire Skip Myslenski — and so many others.

I’ve often thought of those who worked the beat before me. I did this because I always viewed my job as being the Tribune’s historian for the Bulls. Each season represented a chapter in that franchise’s history. I held such lofty thoughts even as Smith, a longtime mentor and friend, just as often reminded me: We’re all replaceable.

He’s right. And it’s my turn to go.

At Evanston Township High School, as I read Sakamoto on the beat and In the Wake of the News columnists Verdi and Steve Daley, all I wanted to do was cover the Bulls for the Tribune. That I did so for two decades is almost incomprehensible to me. That I’m leaving by my own choice is equally so.

Sometimes an unexpected opportunity and new challenge can trump love of and belief in newspapers.

To be clear: The Tribune always has been and always will be a special place to work. It’s filled with hard workers and relentlessly curious minds, not to mention ridiculously talented writers, reporters and editors. Over a nearly three-decade career, the newspaper sent me to seven countries on three continents, two Olympics and more flights to Cleveland and Detroit than I care to remember.

What will I remember? Where to start?

Steve Kerr’s NBA Finals-clinching jumper in 1997. Jordan’s follow-through and pose to put the exclamation point on the 1998 Finals. Phil Jackson sitting back on the bench, letting his players figure it out.

Jerry Krause’s work ethic. Scottie Pippen’s basketball IQ. Charles Oakley’s honesty. Bill Cartwright’s decency. Ron Artest’s wackiness and earnestness. And the United Center faithful chanting, “No-ci-o-ni!” as love cascaded down on the hyperintense Andres Nocioni.

Jamal Crawford is easy to remember because he basically looks the same at 39 as he did as a 20-year-old rookie, when we formed a lifetime bond.

I’ll remember the unexpected rise of the teams built around Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng and Scott Skiles’ bluntness and refreshing sarcasm in assessing them. I’ll remember Derrick Rose’s ascendancy, his dunk on Goran Dragic and his speech to his mother, Brenda, when he became the youngest most valuable player in NBA history. I’ll remember Joakim Noah’s unique combination of intelligence, worldliness, honesty and humor.

I’ll remember a lot.

We’re all replaceable. But at the best and biggest moments, words can live on.

Consider this: All this started with New York almost two months ago and, fittingly, ends with Los Angeles. The Bulls have swept across the National Basketball Association landscape in a remarkable cross-country run to the title that has left no doubt about the location of the basketball capital of the world. Chicago is second to none.

That’s Smith’s spot-on lead for his story that ran on the front page of the June 13, 1991, Tribune when the Bulls broke through for their first title with a victory over the Lakers.

Or this: Muse tomorrow, if you must, about all the other NBA teams that have achieved greatness. Debate which teams in history have possessed more depth or more drama. Question the way the Bulls went about this season, these playoffs, this evening. But today, just savor these images: Remember Michael Jordan as he once more placed the responsibility for this team on his ample shoulders and scored 33 points, including nine of the Bulls’ 12 fourth-quarter points. Envision John Paxson, he of the aching knee and stoic will, standing outside the three-point arc, gathering Horace Grant’s pass and, as cool as can be, burying one of the biggest in a long line of huge shots with 3.9 seconds remaining. Recall Grant leaving Charles Barkley under the basket and racing out to fearlessly swat away Kevin Johnson’s 10-foot attempt as the buzzer sounded. Picture the scene that followed as Bull fell over Bull into a giant red jumble, a joyous mob that still somehow seemed alone and solitary among the surrounding orange-and-purple sea. And finally, enjoy the familiar ring to these words: World Champion Chicago Bulls.”

That’s Isaacson, at her most eloquent, on the June 20, 1993, night Paxson’s shot eliminated the Suns in the NBA Finals.

One last thing needs to be clear: All of these stories aren’t possible without the tireless efforts of the “inside” force, those charged with putting out the newspaper in what’s known around newsrooms as “The Daily Miracle.” Page designers and editors never get enough credit. They work anonymously behind the scenes — and all they do is make the product better.

Just for fun, I’d like to leave them with one last dangling participle or perhaps a sentence that ends in a preposition. Instead, I’ll send them, and you, off with this:

Thanks to all of the editors who entrusted me to cover teams and tell stories and made my copy look and read better than when they first saw it.

And thanks to the readers for yelling at me, praising me, keeping me honest and employed. It has been my privilege to serve as the Tribune’s eyes and ears on the long continuum that is the Bulls beat, which no doubt will continue in good hands.

Any chance we make the playoffs this year? — Dave H., Chicago

Um, sure? I’ve predicted over the summer that I don’t see it. I’m thinking 35-37 victories and the ninth or 10th seed. But I’ve also detailed here many times how bad I am at sports predictions. Look, if healthy, the Bulls should be more competitive. They’ve drawn widespread praise for their offseason moves. But moving from 22 victories to the playoffs is a big jump. And the rest of the Eastern Conference got better.

What do you expect the point guard rotation will look like? Will Coby White get 20 minutes a night? — “27th overall,” Chicago

You’re close. I’d guess he averages in the 20-24 minutes range. And, of course, on hot nights or nights he or the offense has it rolling, he’d go past that. Jim Boylen owns a ton of flexibility with the fact White, Tomas Satoransky and Zach LaVine can play on or off the ball. This is where Kris Dunn struggled the most last season. He never seemed to adjust to playing off the ball, particularly since he’s not an adept 3-point shooter.

If Tomas Satoransky starts, do he or Zach LaVine defend the opponent’s best offensive backcourt player? As you can tell, I’m concerned about Sato’s defense. — Johnny, West Haven, Conn.

Isn’t it Saty? I’ve seen both. But you want answers on his game, not his name. I’ll answer with my own question: You’re not concerned about LaVine’s defense? Even LaVine is since he proactively raised his need to improve in that area during his season-ending interview. There’s no reason LaVine can’t be a capable team defender. He’s athletic, long and quick. His issue has been awareness, particularly off the ball. As for Satoransky, I’ve yet to watch him play nightly. What I’ve seen in Bulls-Wizards games and on film is that he’s conscientious about transition and always willing to dive to the floor for loose balls. Like a lot of people his size, he struggles to guard smaller, quicker guards. But I have less concerns about his defense than you.

I’m curious what you see as the ceiling for Zach LaVine. I know he has his defensive deficiencies but with his athleticism and shooting stroke, it just feels like he could really tap into becoming a more efficient, higher caliber player. Do you see potential for that or think he doesn’t have another level? — Izzy, Frankfort, Ill.

His ceiling, to me, is All-Star but probably not All-NBA. LaVine took a jump with his efficiency, playmaking and decision-making last season. He puts the work in, so why can’t there be another? The fact he increased his free-throw attempts from 4.5 to 6 per game is an encouraging sign. He didn’t settle for hero shots as much and attacked the rim. His ability to score in big spurts is essential to the offense.

Does Bulls ownership prioritize winning a championship anymore? I can’t help but look at some of the other teams around the league and the willingness to win. Would Bulls fans be better off if ownership sold the team? — David, Los Angeles

First off, that’s not happening. Second, you’ve never watched Michael Reinsdorf during a game. He gets so emotional, often to point he has to leave his suite. What raises this question occasionally is the fact the Bulls only have paid the luxury tax once despite the franchise, like most sports franchises, rapidly gaining in value. The salary dump of Luol Deng to the Cavaliers to exit luxury tax territory in the wake of Derrick Rose’s second knee injury and season-ending surgery didn’t help. But that’s the thing: That’s the Reinsdorf’s stance. Get in championship contention and they’ll pay the luxury tax.

Before the luxury tax existed, they (rightfully) paid Michael Jordan back-to-back single-season salaries north of $30 million. With the take-a-shot signings of Dwyane Wade and Jabari Parker, they’ve even strayed from their typical philosophy of being mostly prudent with their spending. This team has a chance to be more competitive, so I’d expect the financial commitments like the ones to Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky to keep coming.

What is the goal for Lauri Markkanen this season? I’m starting to think he might be Niko 2.0. — Patrick, Chicago

Stay healthy is first. He has averaged 60 games through his first two seasons. The second goal is to recognize and take more advantages of his matchups. With a second straight offseason of added strength, which, in theory, won’t be lost to an elbow injury this training camp, he has the potential to overpower defenders down low. His shooting already is respected. And the Bulls need to do a better job of getting him the ball. That’s where Satoransky and Young could be great additions. Both are unselfish players who pass well. Mirotic had some solid stretches for the Bulls; his main issue was consistency. I see Markkanen’s ceiling as higher.

With Otto Porter Jr.’s player option looming, how well would he need to perform to validate opting out and renegotiating a new contract in what is forecasted to be a slow free agency summer in 2020? And how do the Bulls budget their money planning for many of their young guys finishing their rookie contracts soon in addition to Porter Jr.’s expiring contract? — Brian, Madison, Wis.

It’s less a question about how well he would need to perform and more whether he wants long-term security following this season. It was widely assumed, including by me, that Porter would automatically opt in because the $28.4 million salary for 2020-21 is so large. And he still very well may. But he’d certainly make more guaranteed money, albeit at a lower annual salary, if he opted out and signed a longer-term deal. Which is at least one scenario in which you could see the Bulls keeping him. As for the rookie scale contracts, it’s looking like a Kris Dunn extension isn’t an issue. And the way the Bulls structured this offseason signings, with partial guarantees on the deals for Young, Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono in the third seasons, has the future in mind. Trust me when I say management knows how to budget. They weren’t derisively called “the financial champs” by some in the fan base for nothing.

Why haven’t the Bulls shed Kris Dunn yet? Both sides want it to happen. Is it simply a matter of the Bulls not wanting to take any salary back without giving up draft picks to dump him? I would think they could trade him if they took back another player on a one-year deal. — Jimmy, Springfield, Oregon

It’s that well-worn adage: It takes two teams to make a trade. Demand isn’t high. I’ve written before that I’d be surprised if Dunn is still here past the February trade deadline. At that point, more teams could be motivated to make a deal. As for your scenario, I wouldn’t think adding a player on a one-year deal would dissuade the Bulls. In fact, they’d likely jump at that opportunity.

With injuries popping up for Chandler Hutchison already, what, if any, moves do you see the Bulls making to shore up their small forward depth? Are there any likely wing candidates that the Bulls could trade for with a package centered around Kris Dunn? — Nick, Glen Ellyn

As widely praised as Bulls management has been for their offseason, wing depth remains a legitimate question mark heading into camp. Not only do Hutchison and Denzel Valentine need to prove they can stay healthy, they need to produce consistently. Valentine played well, particularly as a starter, his second season. But he’s coming off an missed season to ankle surgery. Hutchison showed some flashes right before he went down with his season-ending toe fracture but needs to do more than rebound and push the ball in transition. Shaq Harrison can play some small forward, but his offense needs to improve. I don’t hear much trade value for Dunn currently.

Seeing a lot of excitement and high expectations for Wendell Carter Jr. this season from fans. I’m still irked by his offseason surgery and expecting him to have a year similar to last season. How much will this surgery set him back? — Brando, Barrington

Carter is nine weeks removed from surgery to repair a core muscle injury, basically a sports hernia. The issue had plagued him since high school and finally became painful enough to address. At the time of the surgery, the Bulls said rehabilitation would be six to eight weeks and he’d be ready for training camp. Recent photos posted by the Bulls show Carter working out at the Advocate Center.

And Carter also has spent considerable workout time with Chris Johnson, Jimmy Butler’s former on-court trainer. Carter still has plenty to prove, but I can tell you the internal optimism for his game, particularly defensively, remains super high. He can be a game-changer at that end with his advanced instincts.

This move will drop the Bulls roster to 15 contracts in advance of training camp.

The news has been reported as a possibility since the Bulls re-signed Shaquille Harrison to a non-guaranteed contract after Harrison’s brief release during the NBA Summer League. Harrison’s toughness and defensive tenacity have made him a favorite of coach Jim Boylen.

Blakeney averaged 7.3 points in just 14.5 minutes over 57 games while shooting close to 40 percent from 3-point range. But his one-dimensional play didn’t fit Boylen’s preference for versatile, interchangeable players. Blakeney, in an amazing statistic, attempted almost as many shots as passes last season, with 396 field goals and 432 passes.

Blakeney’s release also means, at least for now, that Kris Dunn is set to start the season with the Bulls. Given that the Bulls drafted Coby White, acquired Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade and re-signed Ryan Arcidiacono, both management and Dunn’s camp are open to a move. Thus far, no trade that makes sense for both parties has presented itself.

The Bulls announced Thursday that he suffered a strained left hamstring during a Wednesday workout. An MRI exam confirmed the strain, and no timetable was given for his rehabilitation.

Hutchison, a first-round pick acquired in the Nikola Mirotic trade, played in just 44 games last season and none after Jan. 25. After posting his first double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Clippers, an MRI exam revealed an acute injury to the sesamoid bone in his right foot. He wore a walking boot for much of the rest of the season.

At the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Hutchison admitted he was on a minutes limit as he worked his way back from his injury. Still, the fact Hutchison averaged 26.3 minutes while playing in four games — skipping only one end of a back-to-back — seemed a significant step forward until this week’s setback. Hutchison averaged 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds during summer league play.

Hutchison’s injury exposes a legitimate question of reliable wing depth for the Bulls, who have been widely praised for an otherwise solid offseason of transactions. It also could improve Shaquille Harrison’s chances to make the roster, which has 16 players for 15 spots. Both a trade of Kris Dunn or the waiving of Antonio Blakeney are in play.

With training camp set to open at the end of the month, the Bulls have Hutchison and Denzel Valentine slated as backups to starters Otto Porter Jr. and Zach LaVine, respectively. Valentine missed all of last season after left ankle surgery.

Tanaka, who served as the athletic trainer for the camp’s 32 girls and 45 boys ages 16 and 17, had worked a Basketball Without Borders camp in Europe in 2015. The NBA and FIBA began this joint initiative in 2001 to grow the game globally with basketball development and community outreach.

This time Tanaka had a special guest — his father, Ted.

Ted Tanaka spent time as a youth in a U.S. internment camp during World War II.

“I’m a third-generation — or what they call sansei — Japanese American,” Jeff said. “My grandparents migrated from Japan in the early 20th century to California. My parents were born here, and they and my grandparents got sent to camps during World War II. And I’m feeling somewhat removed from the firsthand experience of Japanese culture.

“As a kid, I went to summer school and did some cultural enrichment activities so we could learn about our family’s history and language and traditions and customs. But I haven’t been as immersed in it lately. So this opportunity to experience my roots was welcomed.”

Jeff describes his father as “stoic.” And in a phone conversation from suburban San Jose, Calif., where he’s a retired accountant, Ted plays the part.

He said his memory of the war years “is quite dim” and his more powerful emotional experience of returning to Japan came in 2000, when he visited his parents’ birth city of Hiroshima and the museum dedicated to the victims of the atomic bomb that ended warfare.

“This trip was father-son bonding for me,” said Ted, 84.

They took shopping trips to buy gifts for Ted’s grandchildren, including Jeff’s two young kids with his wife, Val, the United Center’s senior manager of premium seating. They did some sightseeing. They ate dinners with the tight-knit community NBA and FIBA officials create on such trips.

They even caught a baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers with Robin Lopez, one of the camp’s NBA players, and his older brother.

“My dad’s in good health and I thought it would be a great opportunity to spend one-on-one time with him,” Jeff said. “I have a lot of gratitude. I’m 48 and we still get to spend time together. I don’t lose sight of that for a minute. As adults, when do we ever get to have one-on-one time with our parents after you leave for college?

“And the experiences the NBA and FIBA puts together while we’re there and the way they take care of us, I wanted to share some of that experience with my dad as well. I wanted him to reap some of the benefits of that. I am where I’m at because of how my parents brought me up and the work ethic they instilled in me and the support they gave me through college and graduate school and throughout my career.”

Ted called his son’s invitation “an honor” before wisecracking: “I was the most logical one after his wife, so I guess I would’ve been disappointed if he didn’t ask me.”

Both Jeff and Ted pointed to the baseball game and the night with the Lopez brothers as a trip highlight. Ted had taken Jeff and his brother to their first San Francisco Giants game at Candlestick Park in 1983. Thirty-six years later, sitting inside the Tokyo Dome and hearing the constant in-game chanting, they had come full circle.

Jeff had mentioned wanting to attend a game to Robin Lopez, the former Bull who signed with the Bucks as a free agent this summer. Lopez, who has traveled extensively in the Far East, took care of the arrangements and tickets — and then spent most of the game signing autographs, according to Ted.

“And that goes to show the kind of person Robin is and how generous he is,” Jeff said. “At the end of the day, this whole job is about the relationships you make — and, more importantly, the ones that you keep.”

The camp also presented Jeff with myriad opportunities for enrichment. In one session, he and the Knicks’ assistant strength and conditioning coach educated the campers on proper warm-up and stretching routines, nutrition and general health.

“Basketball Without Borders is such a cool program,” Jeff said. “On one level, we’re acting as ambassadors to help promote and support the NBA and FIBA and trying to grow the game globally. The fact there were girls and boys at this camp was really cool.”

Ted and the other camp officials’ guests attended the final day of camp, which featured tournament championship games and an all-star game. One minor injury afforded Ted the opportunity to see his son in action.

“I looked up in the stands a couple times and he was just soaking it all in, smiling,” Jeff said. “I talked to some people that were sitting near him and they let me know he’s very proud of me. There’s not much more you can ask for than that.”

Michael Jordan — whose statue has been a major tourist draw first outside and now inside the United Center tor years — not only wasn’t the building’s opening act, he didn’t even play in the first Bulls game there.

Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Lex Luger and their motley crew christened the arena, plying their shenanigans for a crowd of 18,468 on Aug. 29, 1994, in an event dubbed SummerSlam by the World Wrestling Federation.

Six weeks later, on Oct. 17, 1994, the Bulls lost an exhibition game to the Jazz. And then on Nov. 4, 1994, Scottie Pippen scored 22 points to help lead the Bulls to an 89-83 victory over the Hornets before a franchise-record crowd of 22,313 in the building’s first regular-season NBA game.

The United Center, which turns 25 on Sunday, has played host to three NBA Finals, three Stanley Cup Finals and the 1996 Democratic National Convention. It has blasted beats ranging from Kanye West to Madonna and amplified voices as famous as Frank Sinatra’s and Luciano Pavarotti’s.

It has housed tigers and elephants at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, a book event for Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey’s final shows. It has featured skaters ranging from Disney On Ice to the NCAA’s “Frozen Four” NCAA Tournament to the 2017 NHL draft. Hoopsters chasing Big Ten tournament and NCAA regional titles and McDonald’s All-American high school dreams have graced the hardwood. Tennis, with the Laver Cup, has stopped by.

There really isn’t an event it can’t handle, which is why it’s approaching 60 million visitors over its quarter-century of existence. Following the Jennifer Lopez concert on June 30, the close of the building’s fiscal year, attendance stood at 59.3 million, according to United Center officials. Annually, it typically plays host to approximately 200 events.

“Absolutely,” Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said, when asked if the building has exceeded his expectations. “I don’t think that I contemplated the usage we get out of it, the steady stream of concerts and world-class events we host.”

Mindful that the venerable Chicago Stadium, which the United Center replaced, didn’t possess suites and opportunities for revenue streams in modern arenas, Reinsdorf and Bill Wirtz, the late Blackhawks owner, formed a joint venture in 1988 that culminated in the Aug. 18, 1994, ribbon-cutting ceremony and black-tie gala.

Wirtz’s grandson, Danny, won the 1995 state hockey championship in the building with Loyola Academy. “He’s 42 now,” said Rocky Wirtz, Danny’s father, who succeeded his father, Bill, as Blackhawks chairman. “That seems just like yesterday.”

Part of the reason for the seemingly quick passage of time is how well-maintained the building is and the consistent modernization. According to Terry Savarise, the building’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, Reinsdorf and Wirtz “put a pretty significant annual capital expenditure in our budget” for upgrades and improvements, typically for the building’s infrastructure. Rocky Wirtz pegged it at “$3 to $5 million regardless.”

And that’s separate from the major expenditures, which included a full renovation — without the building closing — over the last five years to redo the Bulls and Blackhawks locker rooms, suites and seating and to add clubs and restaurants on the concourse levels; the addition of the atrium that now houses the Jordan statue, the box office, restaurants and a team gift store; and a new scoreboard that’s almost four times larger than the previous one with higher resolution and a new sound system.

Reinsdorf said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently told him he couldn’t believe the building is nearing its 25th birthday.

“We generally spend more time in that building than we do at home. Why shouldn’t it be as clean and up to date as your home?” Wirtz said. “We charge you a buck to get in there. It has to be value received. Hopefully, the fans feel the money is well spent with the food and the creature comforts and clubs and amenities.

“Generally, buildings are never as good as they were the day they opened. This one is better. It was state of the art 25 years ago. It’s state of the art today. Besides having a whole campus with the Fifth Third Arena and the Advocate Center and the atrium and team store, it’s a classic example of urban development.”

In a 2009 interview with the Tribune, Earnest Gates, then the executive director of the Near West Side Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization he helped create in 1988, addressed the area’s transformation that continues today.

“They got the United Center,” Gates, who worked closely with Reinsdorf and Wirtz during the building’s planning stages, said then. “We got the first new single-family housing in about 45 years. We got an economic development fund. We got a library. We got the (James R.) Jordan (Boys & Girls Club). We got a computer center. We got a health center, a drug store.

“We got a host of community amenities that we probably otherwise wouldn’t have. And we have a great relationship with the Wirtz family and (White Sox executive and United Center CEO) Howard Pizer and Jerry Reinsdorf. It’s a real relationship. And I don’t use that term loosely.”

Said Reinsdorf: “We know we’ve been a good neighbor. We’ve exceeded every commitment we made to the community. We provide employment for so many people from the neighborhood. It’s been a catalyst for redevelopment. And it’s going to keep going. It’s going to jump the United Center and start moving west of Damen. It’s not going to stop.”

The first changeover from a Bulls to a Blackhawks game never seemed to stop either, Savarise said jokingly. A process that took roughly 21/2 hours at the old Stadium grew to eight hours when the United Center first opened because of the additional floor seating inside the hockey boards and new retractable seating in the end zones. Then-Blackhawks coach Darryl Sutter even lamented the altering of some of his practice plans in the building’s infancy.

Now, Savarise said it takes the crew of 45 workers about two hours to convert from hockey to basketball and about 11/2 hours to convert back to a hockey rink. Converting to basketball takes longer because of all the tech and TV demands placed in the flooring.

“Those first few conversions, we were looking at each other like, ‘Do we know what we’re doing?'” Savarise said, laughing. “We knew once we practiced and got to know the building, we’d be able to get those conversions down.”

Indeed, the early memories of the building are a heady mix of nostalgia, excitement and white-knuckle nights for many principals, tenants as famous as Chris Chelios and Scottie Pippen to instrumental behind-the-scenes people such as James Koehler. The building’s vice president and general manager, whose master key opens every door in the building, might know the structure better than anyone. He navigates terrain as precarious as the metallic catwalk connected to the ceiling and as prestigious as the private owner rooms with equal aplomb.

Koehler once granted the request of a starstruck Bono, U2’s lead singer, to see the inside of the Blackhawks locker room between the band’s soundcheck and performance.

The building’s walls have some stories. Who can forget Dennis Rodman’s “walk of shame,” dubbed by the courageous media members who dutifully covered Rodman’s MTV-like “press conferences,” in which he only talked to reporters while walking down the building’s hallways to the loading dock instead of the customary stationary approach inside the locker room, the pack tripping on TV camera cords all the way? Or LeBron James walking down those same hallways in a full Cubs uniform to pay off a World Series bet to his buddy Dwyane Wade? Or Chelios taking a stationary bike into a sauna to punish himself with a postgame workout after a tough loss?

“I grew up here so I loved the old Stadium,” Chelios said. “It’s pretty tough to match the level of the noise in the old Stadium. The Stadium was known for that — opposing teams hated going in there. The United Center was more of a friendly atmosphere, brand new. We still had a really competitive team back at the time, so we had great crowds. The tradition of the national anthem really was the big thing that I remember at the United Center. Not quite as loud as the old Stadium but pretty impressive for a big building.

“And the locker room, the warm showers. The ice in the old Stadium, the atmosphere with the crowd right on top of you, you couldn’t beat that with the United Center. But as far as the amenities, the weight room and all that stuff, that was way ahead of what the old Stadium was.”

Pippen holds similar warm memories.

“Everybody felt comfortable,” Pippen said. “Even the opponent didn’t complain about the cold showers anymore. We just had to be better on the court, which we had been for a number of years. We had to keep up the tradition. It was a smooth transition. We were excited about moving into a new crib. The Stadium was definitely very special and we felt like we had a huge advantage there. But the United Center’s amenities were great. The locker room was great. I think the only sad part about it was Michael didn’t play that entire first season. We had a great season that first season. But we weren’t going to go that far without our main man.”

Jordan ended his baseball experiment and first retirement to make his United Center debut on March 24, 1995, in a 106-99 loss to the Magic in which Horace Grant dropped a double-double on his former team and His Airness shot a pedestrian 7-for-23. That began Jordan’s occasional gripes about adjusting to the harder rims and sightlines of the United Center.

But it didn’t stop Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls from clinching the first two championships of the second three-peat at the United Center.

“You embrace winning on another team’s home court and shutting their building down. But there’s nothing better than winning in front of your home crowd and celebrating with them, knowing you’re going to enjoy that night with your friends and family,” Pippen said. “It just makes the party that much better.”

Similarly, both Reinsdorf and Wirtz cite clinching championships — the Blackhawks defeated the Lightning at home in 2015 — as their favorite United Center memories.

“That night was a horrible storm. All the underpasses leading to the arena were flooded,” Wirtz said. “They couldn’t even get the Stanley Cup to the building on time. But it was still special.”

Reinsdorf recalls Steve Kerr’s foul-line jumper on a pass from Jordan finding bottom to defeat the Jazz in six games in 1997.

“What a night,” Reinsdorf said.

When the Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in 1996, Savarise had another reaction.

“There was still confetti coming down out of the ceiling and our staff was getting forklifts fired up because we had to take the entire building apart to start building for the (Democratic National) convention,” Savarise said. “Watching how that building transformed, there was so much excitement because you had a sitting president and there was so much security protocol.”

That intense 66-day build, which Savarise called “as big as anything we’ve done,” turned the United Center into almost its own city, complete with several TV studios for the major networks and an office that Koehler built a year in advance for Secret Service agents.

When the Democratic Party concluded by renominating Bill Clinton for president, Savarise, Pizer, Koehler and crew had 10 days to convert the United Center back to shape for a Neil Diamond concert.

“We worked almost 24 hours a day,” Savarise said. “We’re constantly running an event, then turning that event over to the next event.”

This year, Savarise said the building will be used for an event every day from early September until Christmas Eve.

“We’re getting the job done today, but we’re planning for what’s coming next week and next month and next year,” Savarise said. “The major events are almost a year out of planning. We’re in a constant stage of what’s coming next and making sure we’re allocating all the resources the right way. I don’t think there’s an event we can’t host. Over 25 years, that’s a pretty good legacy for a building.”

So are the tourists who stream in daily to take pictures by the Jordan statue. And the Terrazzo tiles — with their mixture of marble, quartz and granite — that Bill Wirtz insisted be placed in the concourses over concrete, the ones that are washed and waxed constantly to look new.

Still, Blair Kamin, the Tribune’s Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, didn’t love the United Center’s exterior upon its opening. Writing for the newspaper in 1994, Kamin bemoaned the loss of the Stadium’s “robust classicism.” But Kamin liked the interior, particularly the two grand lobbies that are 46 feet tall and the plush seating that featured cast-iron Bulls and Blackhawks logos set into the plastic portion at each row’s end. He also noted no obstructed views.

The 950,000-square-foot building, which has 1,850 doors, was designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum of Kansas City, Mo., a sports architecture firm. Privately financed, it originally cost $175 million. But with its original 216 suites, twice as many concession stands as the Stadium upon opening, increased wall space for advertising and selling the naming rights to United Airlines, Kamin reported upon the building’s opening that the owners’ construction loan would be paid off in 61/2 years.

Money is a big part of the building. So are memories. You may say it’s just a stone structure, but those indelible moments give it a heart.

Savarise remembers an emotional U2 concert just after the Sept. 11 attacks, one in which crowd and band joined in a cathartic moment of healing. He remembers guitarist Eric Clapton celebrating a birthday on stage, Clinton giving a rousing acceptance speech and, yes, the Bulls and Blackhawks championship nights.

“You always try to walk out into the arena and say, ‘OK, this is what all that work resulted in,'” Savarise said. “Take a look at the crowd or the people coming in or the smiles on people’s faces. Building the building was the easy part. Building the organization is the challenging part. And combining a building and an organization that can stand the test of time and do what that building has done in 25 years — and we’re confident it can do in the next 25 years — that’s the challenge.

“Being able to host special events that can showcase the city is something that takes not only a brick-and-mortar building, but it takes a dedicated and talented organization to do it. Watching how those two have melded together has been a source of pride for all of us.”

Here’s to the next quarter-century.

Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield contributed.

The Bulls play four of their five October games on the road and also will be away from Chicago for Thanksgiving, part of a three-game trip at the Warriors on Nov. 27, at the Trail Blazers on Nov. 29 and at the Kings on Dec. 2.

But November is a home-friendly month, with nine of 15 games scheduled at the United Center.

Their longest homestand is four games, which they have four times. Their longest trip is five games and it’s a tough one: at the Jazz on March 30, at the Nuggets on April 3, at the Suns on April 5, and at the Lakers and Clippers on April 7 and 8. That’s the new-look Lakers, who acquired Anthony Davis to run with LeBron James.

The Bulls play 12 sets of back-to-back games, which is almost right at the league average of 12.4. That average number is down from last season’s average of 13.3 sets of back-to-back games per team, part of the leaguewide initiative to prioritize rest and product. For the third straight season, there are no four-games-in-five-nights scenarios and there are no eight games in 12 days for the second straight season.

Also, the number of five games in seven nights is down 80 percent from 2016-17, an average of 0.6 per team as opposed to an average of three per team. The NBA also pushed up start times from many late nationally televised games, dropping the number of 9:30 p.m. Central tipoffs from 57 to 33.

Not that the Bulls have to worry about that; their lone national TV appearance is Jan. 17 at the 76ers on ESPN.

Here are five other games to watch:

Nov. 1 vs. Pistons

Derrick Rose makes his first of two trips with his new team early in the season. Rose has played for the Knicks and Cavaliers and Timberwolves since his trade from his hometown team, but this promises to be the first time he will play against the Bulls at the United Center as a Central Division rival. Two nights later, Bulls newcomer Thaddeus Young returns to Indiana.

Dec. 14 vs. Clippers

Leonard, Paul George and the new-look Clippers make their lone United Center appearance. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who starred at Proviso East, gets to make his annual statement that Illinois high school basketball is the best in the country.

Dec. 18 at Wizards

Tomas Satoransky returns to the face the team that signed-and-traded the guard to the Bulls in free agency, part of a tough four-game trip.

Feb. 6 vs. Pelicans

Zion Williamson is scheduled for a preseason game at the United Center, but this is his lone regular-season appearance. And it’s also noteworthy for the fact the Bulls don’t play another home game until beginning a four-game homestand Feb. 20. That’s because the NBA takes over the United Center to play host to the All-Star Game on Feb. 16.

April 15 at Celtics

If the Bulls make the playoffs, they’ll have earned it. Their season finale concludes a brutal stretch that features eight of their final 13 games on the road. Eleven of those games are against teams projected to make the playoffs.