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White Sox building confidence + Bulls zeroing in on Matt Lloyd? | Chicago Sports Tonight
ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers and 104.3 The Score’s Matt Spiegel join the show to break down what’s behind the White Sox surge. After a sweep of the Angels, the Sox are gaining confidence and creeping back into the division race — is this the start of something real or just a hot stretch? Plus, we dive into the historic start from slugger Munetaka Murakami — is he already becoming the face of the franchise? And if Matt Lloyd is the right choice to lead the Chicago Bulls front office.
A new era for the Chicago Bulls begins now.
The franchise announced it has hired its next primary decision maker for its front office on Monday.
What we know:
According to the team, the Bulls are hiring Bryson Graham as their primary decision maker in the team's front office. Officially, Graham's title will be the Bulls' Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.
He'll replace Arturas Karnosovas, who was fired after spending six years with the franchise.
Graham was most recently the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Atlanta Hawks, but has an NBA front office career that spans nearly two decades.
Before joining Atlanta, Graham spent 15 seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans from 2010 to 2025. He started as a basketball operations intern and eventually took over as the team's general manager.
In his time with the Pelicans, his roles included: Player development director, video coordinator/player development coach, scouting coordinator, director of college scouting and assistant general manager. He was promoted to general manager in June 2024.
Some of the players that Graham added during his time as the New Orleans' general manager were:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who won 2024-2025 Most Improved Player honors.
- Dyson Daniels, an NBA All-Defensive First Team selection.
- Herb Jones, who was a 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive First Team honoree.
- Trey Murphy III, who he selected at No. 17 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.
- Undrafted free agent acquisitions of Naji Marshall in 2020 and Jose Alvarado in 2021.
What they're saying:
"We’re excited to name Bryson Graham as our Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. Bryson is an elite talent evaluator who has earned tremendous respect across the league, and that stood out immediately during our process," Chicago Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. "He has worked his way up through basketball operations from the ground level, and that experience has given him a deep understanding of how to build and sustain a successful organization. He is an effective communicator, a disciplined and thoughtful decision-maker, and someone who truly connects with players and people. He understands today’s league, today’s players, and what it takes to develop talent and build a winning culture. Just as important, Bryson is committed to building a high-level group around him. He knows what he does well, and he is focused on surrounding that with strong leadership across strategy, scouting, and player development. This is an important step for our organization. We know there is work ahead, but we are confident in Bryson’s ability to lead, build, and move us forward."
"I am incredibly honored to join the Chicago Bulls organization," Graham said in a statement. "This is one of the most storied franchises in the history of professional basketball, and I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to deliver results for this city and these fans. My entire career has been built on the belief that sustained success starts with finding the right players and developing an all-around impactful culture. I want to thank Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf and the entire Bulls organization for presenting me with this opportunity. I am ready to get to work."
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What's next:
Graham will begin immediately.
He'll start piecing together a plan to make the Bulls competitive again. That starts with finding the franchise's next head coach.
When Billy Donovan stepped down as head coach of the Bulls, it meant whoever took over the Bulls' front office would need to find Donovan's replacement, too.
That will come next for the Bulls, as will being present for the 2026 NBA Lottery and filling out the rest of the Bulls' front office staff.