Longley reflects on incredible Ring of Honour induction

Hoops Capital co-owner and special advisor Luc Longley and his famous 1995-96 Bulls side were recently honoured by the Chicago club, being part of the first-ever Ring of Honour inductees.

During a special ceremony at the United Centre, where Longley's Bulls won three straight NBA championships from 1996 to 1998, Luc was acknowledged for the impact he made on the club - alongside fellow inductees Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc, Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, Johnny 'Red' Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause and Tex Winter.

"The whole experience was incredible, as I hadn't been back in Chicago for 10 years," Longley said.

"When we were introduced at half-time of the game [between Chicago and Golden State], I got a great reception, as did all the guys, from the fans - I hadn't been cheered like that for some time, so that was quite uplifting, to say the least.

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"Those fans even did the old 'Luuuuuuuuucccccccc' chant was a real buzz, especially as I didn't expect to be back in Chicago after 25 years."

The game presentation, preceded by a formal, red carpet awards evening on the floor at the United Centre the night before, capped off a busy nine days for Longley in the United States. 

"My time in the US was one big walk down memory lane, which was very cold and snowy for large parts," said Longley, who spent three days with Steve Kerr in Golden State, two days with Phil Jackson in Los Angeles and four days in the Windy City.

"It was fun to hear all those old stories from the guys - a lot of which I had forgotten - and piecing back together all those amazing memories we all have from that special period in our lives.

"Even though this was the first time a lot of us had caught up since then, there was still that same energy and banter around the group.

"Outside of the Bulls staff and playing group, it was great to see the faces of security guards and arena staff that I used to see almost every day and now haven't seen in more than two decades - some of them, like myself, as completely unrecognisable and some looked exactly the same.

"Having the chance to sit down with people like our old assistant trainer Wally or just random fans and hearing their amazing memories of that time was priceless.

"Honestly, it was everything I could have hoped for, if not more, from the experience - which I thank the Bulls organisation greatly for."

Upon returning home to Australia, Longley has now had time to reflect on the magical trip and how special it was.

"Being recognised by the organisation, remembered by the city and remembered by each other, was a really nice way of reflecting on something special we did as a group some time ago," the three-time NBA champion said.

"It's easy for these sorts of things to just slip by the wayside, so it's nice the Bulls didn't let that happen.

"As it's been such a long time, I was starting to wonder myself if something like this would ever eventuate, as a few of us were agitating for it to happen.

"I'm very appreciative Jerry Reinsdorf and the Bulls organisation stepped up and did this - it meant a lot and will stick with me for some time."

A documentary short on the visit has been produced by NBA Asia and Total Sport and Entertainment's Sam Tolhurst called Luc Longley: A Love Letter to Chicago, and will premiere later in the year - after being shown at the recent NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis.