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Over the past decade, the Chicago Bulls have endured a challenging period, managing to be featured in the postseason barely twice in the last nine years. Antoine Walker, one of the city’s most accomplished athletes, attributed this decline to the diminishing quality of basketball talent produced in Chicago.
The 2006 NBA Champion recently expressed his deep concern over the current state of basketball in the city. He pointed out that the lack of excitement is reflected even in the Bulls’ lackluster performance, as both the organization and fanbase seem to have lost all hope.
Walker on the state of Chicago basketball
Wind City has historically been a breeding ground for elite basketball talent, producing high-quality stars in every decade, such as Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Walker himself. However, in the past decade, the city has failed to produce any All-Star caliber players, with perhaps Ayo Dosunmu being the most encouraging local talent.
Highlighting the same, during his appearance on the ‘Forgotten Seasons’ podcast, Toine emphasized the dire state of basketball in the city where he doesn’t know a single place where quality players are produced anymore.
“Chicago is down right now. I am so upset with our basketball right now. We don’t have the numbers as far as guys in the pros anymore,” Walker said. “Our runs are not the same. You could call me and be like, ‘Yo, got some guys coming in from LA and they want to hoop,’ I couldn’t tell them where to go right now. That’s disheartening right now.”
What Chicago basketball culture needs to improve
Furthermore, the three-time All-Star emphasized how important toughness and determination are when rebuilding basketball culture, referencing how Michael Jordan’s intensity in pickup games used to set the tone for everyone else in the city. Seeing that level of competitiveness pushed younger players to elevate their game.
“I’m talking about fights. I am talking about the grit, the grind. I’m watching MJ come back, Ron Artest guarding him like cracked his ribs and he trying to get back,” Walker added. “I mean the toughness and what you had play with. Like it was different.”
As the Bulls have already lost stars like Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan this summer, Walker believes things might get worse for the team unless someone steps up and reignites the excitement in Chicago.
