Bryson Graham is ready to take on the challenge of rebuilding the struggling Bulls

CHICAGO (AP) — The tears flowed as soon as Bryson Graham got the call from the Chicago Bulls. Once they stopped, he turned his attention to the task at hand.

Graham has a big job trying to lift a struggling franchise after Chicago hired him as executive vice president of basketball operations on Monday. Though he's from San Antonio and rooted for the Spurs, he was also a fan of the Bulls growing up in the 1990s. He understands what the team means to the city and the NBA, decades after Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen captured their sixth championship.

“When I think about it and I think about the greatness that’s in this building and what’s in these rafters and the championships that have been won here, it’s amazing," Graham said Wednesday at his introductory news conference. “It impacted my life more than I thought I knew because I was always chasing what this organization represented. You see M.J., and obviously I wanted to be him just like everybody wanted. I wanted that, but it carried over in other aspects of my life, so like my work ethic, my determination, my grit. I’m watching the Bulls and what they displayed and I’m like, ‘That’s what I want.’”

Graham spent this season as Atlanta's senior vice president of basketball operations after a 15-year run in New Orleans’ front office, during which he climbed from intern to general manager. In Chicago, he has his work cut out for him.

The Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley in early April after six years and one postseason appearance. Chicago finished 12th in the Eastern Conference at 31-51 while missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

One of Graham's most important tasks will be hiring a coach. Naismith Hall of Famer Billy Donovan opted to resign after six years, avoiding a potentially awkward situation with new management, even though owner Jerry Reinsdorf hoped to retain him.

Graham said he hasn't yet put together a list of candidates. He said he is looking for someone who is strong on both sides and isn't necessarily a defensive or offensive specialist, and head coaching experience is not a requirement.

“Let’s find the most competent, most talented people,” Graham said. “That could be a coach that you may not even heard of, and I may get killed for it. But if I believe in him, I’m behind him.”

Graham wants to build out the front office and support staff. President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf insisted that Graham will have the financial resources to do just that. He also said he won't stop Graham from exceeding the luxury-tax threshold when the team is competitive.

“If we’re competing for championships, we expect that we’ll probably be in the luxury tax, and totally OK with that,” Reinsdorf said. “I don’t want to be in luxury tax for a team that’s not in the playoffs, but if he did, then he wouldn’t be the right guy.”

The Bulls have a long way to go before they're title contenders. But with nearly $60 million projected in salary-cap space and two first-round picks, they have the potential to take significant steps this offseason.

Chicago hasn't been a serious contender in the Eastern Conference since Derrick Rose was in his prime a decade-and-a-half ago. Its most recent All-Star was DeMar DeRozan in 2023, and the lack of a franchise player has been a glaring weakness for years.

“It’s going to take time,” Graham said. “I think the roster, we’re in the developmental stage right now. I think everyone in here knows that we’re not where we want to be.”

Graham knows a thing or two about putting in time. He went from unloading boxes on his first day as an intern with New Orleans in 2010 to becoming the team's GM, and he still keeps a picture on his phone of himself performing that grunt work.

“That photo to me just means like that’s who I am, you know,” he said. “I don’t mind doing the little things that are necessary. ... I got to be ready to pull up my sleeves because we’re at the ground floor. And that picture represents that to me.”

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Chicago Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf, left, and the NBA basketball team's new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham address the media at a news conference in Chicago, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Seligman)

NEW YORK (AP) — Joel Embiid was sidelined for Game 2 of the Philadelphia 76ers' second-round series against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night with a sprained right ankle and a sore right hip.

The 76ers had listed their center as probable to play, mentioning only the ankle, before adding the hip problem on the injury report and ruling him out about six hours before trying to even the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Coach Nick Nurse said Embiid woke up with soreness and was treated during the 76ers' morning shootaround. The team's medical staff determined afterward that Embiid would be unable to play.

“He’s really disappointed. He really wants to be out there,” Nurse said, adding that Adem Bona and Andre Drummond would likely share Embiid's minutes.

Embiid struggled through a short night in the Knicks' 137-98 romp in Game 1, scoring 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting in 25 minutes before the starters were benched with the game out of reach.

Embiid had been listed as probable to play in that game with a bruised right hip before being cleared, and the Knicks repeatedly took advantage of his lack of mobility to create open shots.

Embiid returned from a late-season appendectomy during Game 4 of Philadelphia's first-round series against Boston and helped the 76ers overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the series. He has averaged 25.2 points in five games thus far.

It's unclear whether the pain around Embiid's hip is replated to the appendectomy. He winced and grabbed his abdomen at one point in Game 1 after Knicks guard Mikal Bridges collided with him on a screen in the first half.

Embiid later said he felt the contact was unnecessary.

“Obviously based on what’s been going on, I guess I’ve got to protect it more,” Embiid said. “I don’t know if it was dirty or not, so I guess I’ve got to do a better job of protecting, especially that part.”

The Sixers won't have Embiid to match up with Knicks All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, and they'll likely need much more from Tyrese Maxey. The speedy point guard also struggled through Game 1, going 3 for 9 for 13 points after averaging 26.9 in the first round.

The 76ers, however, are used to playing without Embiid. It has been years since the former MVP has truly been healthy.

“I said this before, but coming back from that appendectomy so quick was not easy for him to do,” Nurse said. “He’s worked extremely hard to get back and he continues to want to play badly and I feel really bad for him, because he really wants to be out there and we want him out there.”

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Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid reacts during the first half of Game 1 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the New York Knicks Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)