Bob Knight wanted his bosses to die

Do you hate your boss? Do you hate your former boss? There aren’t many people who hate their former bosses more than Bob Knight, who returned to Assembly Hall for the first time in 20 years on Saturday, and it was actually pretty awesome.

All of Indiana basketball can be happy once again. The whole place erupted when he slowly made his way on to the basketball court at halftime of Indiana-Purdue, and my Twitter feed was filled with pro-Bob Knight tweets for the first time ever. How do you get people to start rooting for you? Be old and smile.

I’m too young to remember Bob Knight’s Indiana days, so I will always remember him for tossing chairs and destroying media for asking him questions (before he became part of the media). Most of all, I will recall the interview when he wished death upon his former bosses. Here’s a transcript from the Dan Patrick Show after Bob Knight said he had no respect for them.

Dan Patrick: Aren’t all those people out of there, coach?

Bob Knight: I hope they’re all dead.

Dan Patrick: I know some of them are.

Bob Knight: Well, I hope the rest of them go.

No matter how bad things are at the office for you dealing with your superiors during the week, you probably wouldn’t prefer him or her to be deceased. That level of hate is incredible and looking back, it’s hilarious to think Bob Knight didn’t think he needed to be fired.

Bob Knight choked Indiana player Neil Reid. Knight lied about it until video came out. That led to an investigation that showed he threw a vase at a university secretary, his son suffered a dislocated shoulder and broken nose during a scuffle on a hunting trip with his dad and he knocked out an Indiana sports information director.

All he got out of that investigation? A warning.

A WARNING!!!

A few months later, he was accused of grabbing a student by the arm, swearing at the kid after the student said, “Hey Knight, what’s up?” That led to him finally being fired.

Bob Knight being upset at superiors for this is next-level stubbornness and I kind of respect it. But he’s back in Bloomington. Indiana fans are happy. Bob Knight is happy.

And most importantly, Dick Vitale is happy.