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Taj Gibson gets his 'special moment' in return to Chicago

The former Chicago Bull was recognized by Bulls fans in his recent return to United Center.

Schuyler Callihan

Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
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Toward the end of the Charlotte Hornets game in Chicago on Friday, head coach Charles Lee heard the request of the fans inside United Center, chanting for Taj Gibson to enter the game and threw him on the floor to receive a standing ovation.

“It’s special. He’s been phenomenal to our whole organization and to our players. As I looked down, I just was like, ‘What you want to do right now? You want to go in?.’ Lee said. "And I think this place obviously had a big imprint on his career, and so he wanted to go in, and so he did.”

Gibson spent the first eight years of his career with the Bulls, playing a key role in the club's success in the Eastern Conference. While others such as Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng received a ton of recognition for their contributions, Taj Gibson was often the forgotten piece, at least from those on the outside.

In 562 career games with Chicago, Gibson averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

schuylercallihan(at)gmail.com  Twitter:@Callihan_ Schuyler Callihan is the lead publisher of Mountaineers Now, All Panthers, and All Hornets on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. He took over publishing duties of All Panthers in 2020 and wanted to expand his professional coverage in the Queen City by running the operations at All Hornets. Schuyler attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia before finishing up his schooling at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina. The Wheeling, West Virginia native made the move to North Carolina in 2015 and has been in Charlotte since 2021.

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