NBA players, Chicago Bulls stars seek out Mike Cruz barber for haircut, fades
'They're really good at basketball, I'm good at cutting hair'
CHICAGO (WLS) -- At 6 feet 2 inches, Mike Cruz still needs a step stool to cut the top of Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic's head. But whatever it takes, Cruz is up for the task. And that's one of the things athletes like Vucevic appreciate.
"He does a very good job for me," said Vucevic. When I get haircuts, I like to be consistent. Don't like to make changes."
Cruz, whose father is from Puerto Rico and mother is from Mexico, cuts hair for a diverse group of people including a couple dozen professional athletes, mostly baseball and basketball players. Some are from other cities who stop in when they are in town. New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado is a regular.
"I treat them like normal people, which they are," said Cruz. "They're just really good at their craft. I kind of think of myself the same. They're really good at basketball, I'm good at cutting hair."
Cruz works part of the time out of Razor Red Grooming Solutions, a barbershop on the Near West Side. He grew up in Cicero and played sports in high school but he also took up cutting hair at an early age.
"Since I was a kid, I used to go to the barbershop and watch everybody get their haircut. It looked like an art to me," said Cruz.
When he was 13 he had a barber chair set up in his family's basement. At 17 he cut his twin brother's hair in barber competitions. These days he's in big demand. The majority of his customers who are high profile athletes are on television frequently.
"There's a lot of people watching us so it important that we look clean and look like you're taking care of yourself," said Vucevic.
Vucevic has referred teammates to Cruz. He said the talented barber pays close attention to detail and he's able to work with all kinds of hair and different styles.
For his part, Cruz said what he does for a living doesn't really seem like work.
"I really enjoy my job. It's kind of like a one-on-one session with a friend when I'm cutting hair," said CRuz.
During the season, which starts next month, Cruz spends a lot of time at the United Center. Not only going to most games but there's also a barber chair set up at the adjacent practice facility to make things more convenient for the players.
