'From Chicagoooo': Why the Bulls value bringing in hometown players

CHICAGO -- ON MADISON STREET just outside the United Center, during a summer day more than two months before the Chicago Bulls will play their first game of the 2023-24 season, Jevon Carter is about to get his first challenge as a Bull.

It's the weekend of Bulls Fest, the team's second annual fan festival, and Carter is swarmed as soon as he steps on the court by middle school kids eager to go 1-on-1 with the Bulls' newest guard.

"Step up," Carter says as he checks the ball to the first kid in line, who is eager to get into a defensive stance.

Amused, Carter pulls up for a jump shot at the free throw line, but he misses and his challenger grabs the rebound. For a moment, the opponent has the…