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For those who wish to attend, Jim Durham’s funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 13 at Holy Name Cathedral, 730 North State Street in Chicago, Ill. There will be a viewing inside Holy Name from 9 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. that morning with the service beginning promptly at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations in Jim’s memory to either American Red Cross Disaster Relief, The V Foundation, or Chicago Bulls Charities.
By Adam Fluck | 11.05.2012
For 18 seasons, Jim Durham’s voice was synonymous with Chicago Bulls basketball.
So when the news that Durham had passed away suddenly over the weekend at the age of 65 spread throughout the team’s front office on Monday, it was a shock for many of those who had worked with him over the years.
“I was so sorry to learn this morning of Jim Durham’s untimely passing,” said Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “Jim was the voice of the Bulls for 18 years and he was the best at calling a basketball game I ever heard.”
An Illinois native, Durham joined the Bulls in 1973 as television and radio commentator, a role he would enjoy until 1991, when he left to join ESPN following the team’s first world championship. Durham leaves behind his wife, Helen, their three children, Patrick, Richard and Tracy, and several grandchildren.
Durham was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 with the Curt Gowdy Media Award and is widely regarded as one of the great announcers in basketball history.
“I loved the energy he brought to our broadcasts, the way he painted a word picture of what was happening on the court which made you feel like you were there, and his sense of humor,” said Reinsdorf. “Most importantly, Jim was my friend and I will miss the conversations we had about the NBA, life in general, and his favorite baseball team… the Chicago White Sox. On behalf of the entire Chicago Bulls organization, my deepest condolences to Helen and his entire family. He will be greatly missed.”
“I am stunned. Devastated,” said Executive Vice President-Business Operations Steve Schanwald. “I loved that man, we all did here, and of course Jim was the best in the business at his craft. No one brought the game more to life, brought more energy and humor to the broadcasts or painted a more vivid picture of what was happening on the floor than Jim did.
“I will miss his company and our conversations a lot,” added Schanwald. “But I will always be grateful for our friendship and the times we shared together. Heartfelt condolences to Helen and his family.”