KEITH Booth found himself in the right place at the right time to start his NBA career, winning a championship with the Chicago Bulls even though he would spend just two years in the league.
Those two seasons happened to overlap with the fabled last dance of Michael Jordan, who turned out to be a great ally for the ex-Maryland standout.
Ex-Chicago Bulls forward Keith Booth has recalled how Michael Jordan vouched for him to play more during his rookie season in 1997-98Credit: Getty
Jordan led the Bulls to their third consecutive title and claimed his fifth MVP award that seasonCredit: Getty
The Bulls drafted Booth with the 28th pick in 1997, putting the Baltimore native in a precarious position.
On one hand, he landed a team that was likely to complete its second three-peat of the decade with Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman leading the way.
On the other, he had little to no chance of playing regular minutes in the NBA with head coach Phil Jackson being notorious for keeping rookies out of the rotation.
Both possibilities became reality in 1997-98 as Booth ended his rookie year with a championship ring after another MVP season from Jordan.
However, he spent a total of 17 minutes on the court over six appearances during the entire campaign.
His Airness pushed Jackson to get the 6-foot-6 forward more involved though, suggesting he should get some of Rodman’s minutes after the Bulls star left the team and flew to Las Vegas for a couple of days.
“I was practicing great, still had a little bit of hope that maybe Phil would play me,” Booth told Glenn Clark Radio in 2020.
“I’ll never forget MJ vouching for me the time that Dennis was gone for a couple days. I practiced real well.
“MJ was vouching for me. ‘Phil, why don’t you effing play Booth, man? Give him a shot, man! He’s showing what he can do.’
“He looked at MJ and he looked at me and he rolled his eyes. MJ came to the locker room after practice was over with all the guys and he said, ‘Damn, Booth, I tried. I tried!’
“Everybody just busted out laughing.”
Booth clarified that Rodman was one of his favorite teammates, lauding his work ethic regardless of the two-time All-Star’s fondness for escapades.
He also said he loved Jackson despite his limited playing time, explaining the coach made him feel appreciated for his input as a practice player.
“Phil made a point to really make me feel a part of it because he knew how important my role was when it came to practice,” the ex-player said.
Booth clocked 432 minutes in 39 games the following season as the Bulls hit the reset button with Jordan retiring and Jackson, Pippen, and Rodman leaving.
But he quit basketball himself in 2000 having received no offers from NBA teams while refusing to continue his career overseas – and then transitioned into coaching.
