IN THE FALL OF 2021, MY SON AND I WENT TO SEE THE BULLS PLAY the Brooklyn Nets at the United Center. It was an attempt to find some normalcy after a year and a half of uncertainty and hiding in our house. We wore masks and showed our vaccination cards and then climbed to the 300 level, where we settled into our seats.
When the Bulls were introduced, stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine got the requisite cheers. But when the name of the Bulls’ recently acquired starting center, Nikola Vučević, was called, the crowd erupted into a low moan that sounded like booing. My son, then 11, looked at me: Why were fans jeering one of their own players? I looked back at him and shrugged.
Despite all of the big names
