In a stunning turnaround, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said Sunday that he had decided against selling the Milwaukee Bucks to Michael Jordan and would "continue to own them, improve them and commit them to remaining in Wisconsin."
Kohl's abrupt announcement came after weeks of intense local and national speculation that the retired basketball superstar had reached a tentative agreement to buy the team or was about to do so. The announcement would have to be considered a huge disappointment for Jordan.
Kohl's announcement capped an afternoon in which the Bucks released general manager Ernie Grunfeld from the last year of his contract, allowing Grunfeld to pursue what is expected to be a similar position with the Washington Wizards. That move immediately raised questions about the future of the basketball operations of the franchise.
Assistant general manager Larry Harris, the son of former Bucks coach Del Harris, was named acting general manager.
Jordan ended his playing career this season with the Wizards, then was fired by owner Abe Pollin as Jordan was poised to take over that team's basketball operations. Jordan had high hopes of becoming an owner in the National Basketball Association.
Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Expansion
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Forget the NBA draft.
The real talent chase begins Tuesday when the free-agency negotiating period opens. Teams can sign players starting July 16.
The Spurs, Nuggets and Jazz are the only serious bidders this summer because they each have more than $10 million in salary-cap room. Utah's ability to sign is dependent on whether the team re-signs Karl Malone. The Clippers also are well under the cap, but they don't do that kind of thing.
Jason Kidd heads an unrestricted free-agent list that includes Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Reggie Miller, Gary Payton, Tyrone Hill, Derrick Coleman, Juwan Howard, Scottie Pippen and Alonzo Mourning. Other notable names are Michael Olowokandi, P.J. Brown, Elden Campbell, Kenny Thomas and Rasho Nesterovic. Keon Clark could become a free agent if he opts out of his contract with Sacramento. There also is a bunch of guards, including Kenny Anderson, Earl Boykins, Dion Glover, Darrell Armstrong and Speedy Claxton.
Restricted free agents—players whose teams can match offers for one year to retain them—include Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Gilbert Arenas (though only up to about $4.6 million for the Warriors), Lamar Odom and James Posey.
Via Chicago Tribune
Chicago Bulls, General Basketball
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Tyson Chandler couldn't contain a smile recently when told the Bulls were going to inquire about Scottie Pippen's availability as a free agent.
''Now see, that's exactly the kind of player we need,'' Chandler said.
John Paxson doesn't disagree. But the Bulls' general manager isn't sure of Pippen's intentions.
The free-agent market opens Tuesday, and the Bulls will pursue a veteran, defensive-minded small forward armed with their mid-level exception, which is expected to be around $4.9 million. They also will have an injury exception for Jay Williams for approximately $1.8 million.
Pippen is on record saying his first choice is to re-sign with the Portland Trail Blazers, with the intent of becoming a minority owner who helps run the organization. But Pippen said he couldn't get Blazers owner Paul Allen to return a phone call.
Pippen, 37, is planning for his post-playing days, figuring he has two more good years left.
Via Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers
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Bulls Jun 2003 Archive
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ESPN | Jun 29, 2003
Michael Jordan looked into buying the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 29, 2003
The basketball hoops got erected early and, in a nod to those chilling west Iowa winters, strategically.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 29, 2003
It's too early to compare John Paxson to Jerry Krause in terms of talent evaluation, but the contrast in other areas is dramatically evident.
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Daily Herald | Jun 28, 2003
Bulls general manager John Paxson did not cancel a scouting trip to France two weeks ago so he could work on a blockbuster trade involving one of the team's point guards.
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Rocky Mountain News | Jun 28, 2003
Juwan Howard might be in his final days with the Denver Nuggets.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 28, 2003
New Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich will be unveiled to the media at a Tuesday news conference at the United Center.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 27, 2003
The Bulls' selection Thursday night of Kansas senior point guard Kirk Hinrich as their top pick in the NBA draft sends several messages.
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Arlington Heights Daily | Jun 27, 2003
Kirk Hinrich is well aware that the race issue follows every step of his basketball career.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 27, 2003
The jersey changed from a John Elway model last year to a retro Reggie Theus model this year, vintage Sacramento Kings.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 27, 2003
Out of respect for his family and the severity of his injuries, the Bulls have said little publicly about the status of injured guard Jay Williams.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Jun 27, 2003
There is no agreement in principle to sell the Milwaukee Bucks to Michael Jordan, and the basketball superstar had no hand in the Bucks' draft selections Thursday night, NBA Commissioner David Stern said Thursday.
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Ft. Worth Star-Telegram | Jun 26, 2003
Owner Mark Cuban denied published reports out of Chicago that the Mavericks have discussed a trade that would send guard Michael Finley to the Bulls for forwards Marcus Fizer and Donyell Marshall, another player and the No.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 26, 2003
One of Jay Williams' former Duke teammates had grim news about the injured Bulls guard's condition after speaking with him Sunday.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 26, 2003
Jalen Rose maintained a low profile during the Bulls' draft preparations, but he already has made an impact on the team's free-agent plans.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 26, 2003
One year ago tonight, the futures of Jay Williams and the Bulls crossed paths at the NBA draft, fueling visions of quick and lasting success for both parties.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 26, 2003
On the edge of Broadway, where the eve-ning lights flashed in Dwyane Wade's hotel room as if beckoning his new life, a delightful little script is ready.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 26, 2003
Bill Wennington and Michael Jordan once combined to score 57 points—never mind that Jordan had 55 of them.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 26, 2003
Close your eyes.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 26, 2003
On the eve of his first draft as Bulls general manager, John Paxson sat in his office talking on the phone as another line rang and his cell phone followed suit.
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Daily Herald | Jun 25, 2003
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't waste any time checking on the health of Jay Williams, his one-time star guard.
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Daily Herald | Jun 25, 2003
Maciej Lampe will be the first Polish-born player drafted into the NBA.
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Los Angeles Times Columnist Bill Sharman | Jun 25, 2003
Thursday is draft day in the NBA and draft day usually makes for interesting stories.
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Daily Herald | Jun 25, 2003
Why draft the Euro Finley if you can trade for the real thing?
The Bulls are negotiating with Dallas to acquire Chicago-area native Michael Finley, according to a league source.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 25, 2003
The Bulls have a lot of options, probably more than they would like heading into Thursday's NBA draft.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 25, 2003
Bulls guard Jay Williams underwent a second surgical procedure on his fractured pelvis Tuesday, according to sources, and still faces several surgeries on his left knee.
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Toronto Sun | Jun 24, 2003
There were rumours last summer that the Raptors were interested in acquiring Marshall through a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 24, 2003
John Paxson's phone was quiet over the weekend.
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Tacoma News Tribune | Jun 24, 2003
Up until the weekend, the Seattle SuperSonics were having discussions with the Chicago Bulls about acquiring one of the Bulls' two point guards: Seattle native Jamal Crawford or Jay Williams, the second pick in the draft last season.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 24, 2003
Eighteen years later, Jerry Krause remembers vividly his first NBA draft as Bulls general manager.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 24, 2003
Bulls general manager John Paxson spent most of Monday morning talking about how he would use the team's first-round draft pick, acknowledging that Jay Williams' serious injuries have affected the team's trade flexibility.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 24, 2003
Groggy from surgery, sleep and pain medication, Jay Williams saw Bulls general manager John Paxson and coach Bill Cartwright enter his hospital room Friday and said one thing:
"I'm sorry.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 23, 2003
Two young draft prospects sensed something was wrong at the Berto Center on Sunday, and the arrival of Bulls team orthopedic surgeon Michael Lewis did nothing to dispel that perception.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 23, 2003
The intrigue in Thursday's NBA draft starts with Toronto at No.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Jun 23, 2003
Clay Tucker won't be one of the invited guests at Madison Square Garden for the National Basketball Association's player draft Thursday night.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 22, 2003
The Bulls were forced to get back to business Saturday as front-office personnel and the coaching staff assembled at the Berto Center to discuss strategy for Thursday's draft.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Columnist Michael Hunt | Jun 22, 2003
At a time when the league is suffering from a distinct lack of panache and star power, David Stern would be thrilled to have his most marketable asset back in the game.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 22, 2003
As Jay Williams rested on Saturday in preparation for additional operations, members of Bulls management gathered at the Berto Center with Williams' condition dominating their thoughts.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 21, 2003
Surrounded by family, friends and team management in his hospital room, Bulls guard Jay Williams faced an uncertain athletic future and a long medical battle Friday, a day after sustaining serious injuries in a motorcycle accident.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 21, 2003
As a Bulls delegation visited Jay Williams' hospital room Friday morning, coach Bill Cartwright thought he noticed a slight improvement in Williams' spirits.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 21, 2003
Bulls coach Bill Cartwright, who has owned a motorcycle for 10 years, said he was unaware guard Jay Williams had recently purchased a motorcycle and had not seen the need to warn his players to stay off the machines.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 21, 2003
Life was so good for Jay Williams a week ago.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 20, 2003
For many years, Milwaukee feared Michael Jordan.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 19, 2003
As reported first by
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 19, 2003
Forget Paris, and forget Pau, France, as well.
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Jun 19, 2003
More than 100 of the best young basketball players in the country will be in St.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 18, 2003
After several delays during what appeared to be a hopeless task, Bulls operations chief John Paxson finally got off the ground Tuesday and headed to France to work out Mickael Pietrus.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 17, 2003
There was a ceremony Monday in North Chicago to open fenced-in, lighted outdoor basketball courts, which were funded by the Bulls.
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New Orleans Times-Picayune Columnist Jim Derry | Jun 16, 2003
It was February 1992, I was covering men's basketball at UNO for the first time, and I wasn't quite sure how to ask the coach how the Privateers' game against Arkansas State slipped away.
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New Orleans Times-Picayune | Jun 16, 2003
It has been enlightening during the past week to talk with observers of the NBA and read what they have written about the Hornets hiring Tim Floyd as their new coach.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 14, 2003
The kids from the New York elementary school sat staring at the adult reading to them Friday at the NBA merchandise store.
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Houston Chronicle | Jun 14, 2003
The Rockets took a small step toward adding former New York Knicks star Patrick Ewing to their new coaching staff Friday, receiving permission from the Washington Wizards to talk to their assistant coach.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 13, 2003
It's hard to see where Dwyane Wade would fit on the Bulls' roster as it's currently shaped, which is why Wade's second workout at the Berto Center on Thursday raises the question of whether the Bulls' roster is in for a shakeup.
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Indianapolis Star | Jun 13, 2003
While five NBA teams are without head coaches, Indiana Pacers coach Isiah Thomas is weighing his options to fill two vacancies on his staff.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 13, 2003
Retired basketball superstar Michael Jordan scored another victory Thursday when former girlfriend Karla Knafel's claim that he owed her $5 million was dismissed because the pact she alleged would be an illegal and unenforceable bid for "hush money.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 13, 2003
Though he stands just a quarter-inch below 6 feet 5 inches with shoes on, Dwayne Wade hears the word "undersized" associated with his name as much as Marquette, which he led to last year's Final Four.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Jun 12, 2003
Marquette's Dwyane Wade will get a second workout with the Chicago Bulls today at the Berto Center, the Bulls' practice facility.
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Daily Herald | Jun 11, 2003
The march of draft prospects into the Berto Center continues.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 11, 2003
A busy week of draft workouts that will include a second visit by Marquette's Dwyane Wade began at the Berto Center on Tuesday when four high-profile forwards visited.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 11, 2003
Bulls guard Jay Williams will represent his country again this summer, but it won't be as a member of Team USA.
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Florida Today | Jun 11, 2003
For the better part of 20 years, Will Perdue always had some place he had to be.
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Daily Herald | Jun 10, 2003
Quite obviously, the NBA draft is no longer just for college seniors.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 10, 2003
Close to five years ago, following a public courtship that annoyed some and energized others, Jerry Krause hired Tim Floyd to succeed Phil Jackson because he thought Floyd could coach in the NBA.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 10, 2003
The New Orleans Hornets must feel proud.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 10, 2003
Andy Miller, agent for Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett, said Monday that he met with Wolves basketball boss Kevin McHale last week at the NBA predraft camp in Chicago, but never talked specifically about a contract extension for Garnett.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 9, 2003
Weary from his high school graduation in Akron, Ohio, LeBron James arrived in Chicago to prove to league personnel who run the NBA predraft camp that he is more than an 18-year-old in an NBA body that measured 6 feet 8 inches and 245 pounds Sunday.
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Memphis Commercial Appeal | Jun 8, 2003
Shane Battier was neither shaken up nor stirred this weekend.
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Miami Herald | Jun 8, 2003
The Chicago Bulls are interested in Memphis' Shane Battier, and the Grizzlies are interested in getting the No.
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Denver Post | Jun 8, 2003
How about a Nuggets starting lineup of Gilbert Arenas at point guard, Rodney White at shooting guard, Carmelo Anthony at small forward, Juwan Howard at power forward and Nene Hilario at center?
If the Nuggets, as expected, select Anthony with the third pick June 26 in the NBA draft, that's a lineup he said he believes can happen.
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Daily Southtown | Jun 8, 2003
Jim Stack was quick to weigh in on the hot topic at the NBA pre-draft camp, which concluded Friday at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.
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Daily Herald | Jun 7, 2003
Bulls general manager John Paxson is considering making a second scouting trip to Europe to watch French swingman Mickael Pietrus.
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Daily Herald | Jun 7, 2003
It has been business as usual for former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause this week at the NBA's Chicago predraft camp.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 6, 2003
With the NBA predraft camp in his backyard at Moody Bible Institute, Bulls operations chief John Paxson probably felt lucky not to have to travel as much as the other general managers.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 6, 2003
Jamal Crawford confirmed this week that he has hired agent Arn Tellem to represent him in contract-extension talks this summer.
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Miami Herald | Jun 5, 2003
A Dallas team executive said the team has not decided whether to use its second-round pick, No.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 5, 2003
Tyson Chandler will undergo an outpatient surgical procedure Friday to correct the condition with his esophagus that cost him six games late in the season.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 5, 2003
John Paxson is a popular guy at the NBA predraft camp this week, and not just because of the sharp Bulls golf shirt he has been wearing.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 4, 2003
As Jim Stack stood next to Jerry Krause on Tuesday during the opening night of the predraft camp at Moody Bible Institute, the two former Bulls employees likely discussed the possibility of one of them returning to the Bulls.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 3, 2003
This would be a fine time for John Paxson, an image-conscious gentleman with a Notre Dame gloss, to temporarily morph into a loon.
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Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 3, 2003
It's just as well the talent pool at this week's predraft camp isn't as deep as in years past, because Bulls operations chief John Paxson won't be focused exclusively on the draft prospects.
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Chicago Tribune | Jun 2, 2003
The Denver Nuggets keep telling anyone who asks that they're keeping the No.
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New York Times | Jun 1, 2003
Dennis Rodman, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, lounges in a chair on the patio of his oceanfront home in Newport Beach, Calif.
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