Friends say their goodbyes to Van Lier
They shed tears, of course, and they smiled because Norm Van Lier simply had that effect on his friends.
They mentioned his love of music and TV shows, the passion he brought to the Bulls as a star guard in the 1970s and as an analyst the past two decades, and they laughed Monday as they told stories during a funeral for Van Lier at a church on Chicago's Michigan Avenue.
Mostly, they mourned the loss of a loyal friend.
"Norm was always one of the guys I could call, I could talk to, I could express myself to," former teammate Bob Love said.
"And he could do the same for me. He always had my back off the court, and on the basketball court I had his back. We were really, really good friends. I'm going to miss him. He's going to be missed by Chicago, period."
A defensive standout who teamed with Jerry Sloan in one of the toughest backcourts before becoming a popular commentator, Van Lier was found dead last week in his home just a few blocks from the United Center. "Stormin' Norman" was 61.
A three-time all-star, Van Lier began his NBA career with Cincinnati in 1969 after the Bulls drafted him and traded his rights. He returned to the Bulls and spent more than six seasons with them before finishing his career with Milwaukee in 1979, but he is most remembered for his time with the Bulls.
Hours after Van Lier's death word came that Johnny "Red" Kerr, the longtime analyst who coached the inaugural Bulls team to the playoffs, had succumbed to prostate cancer.
Two icons. Two friends. And one sad day. Kerr's funeral is scheduled for Thursday, but Monday belonged to Van Lier.
Longtime friend and sportscaster Chet Coppock referred to him as "our basketball Pied Piper" and said, "Everybody wanted to touch Norm Van Lier" during his eulogy. He also touched on Van Lier's love of music, calling him Mick Jagger "with razor sharp elbows" and saying Chicago has "lost our Frank Sinatra."
Van Lier brought the passion he had as a player to the airwaves, always saying what was on his mind, and that endeared him to Bulls fans. He had no patience for slackers.
And he connected with Bulls fans.
"This is a city that works, and Norm worked hard," former teammate Mickey Johnson said. "He worked hard. A lot of people sometimes took it the wrong way, but that's what their image of Norm was."
His friends have a different image, a different memory.
As he approached the church, Coppock said, "God obviously had to have a crying need for a point guard." And then, he added: "I would imagine that Red Kerr and Norm Van Lier are sitting upstairs thinking, 'What's all the fuss all about?' "