Norm Van Lier, who was named to the National Basketball Association’s first or second all-defensive team eight times and was selected for three of the league’s All-Star Games, has died at the age of 61. Van Lier, who spent the bulk of his pro career with the Chicago Bulls, had been working as one of the team’s broadcasters before he failed to show up Wednesday night. He was found dead in his apartment Thursday morning.
Another “voice of the Bulls”, Johnny “Red” Kerr, has passed away at the age of 76. In the 1966-67 season, Kerr had been the expansion Chicago team’s first head coach. During his playing days, he led the University of Illinois Fighting Illini to the NCAA Final Four in 1952, helped the Syracuse Nationals to the 1954 NBA championship, and set the NBA record (since broken) for consecutive games played (844).