A lot of people became basketball fans during the Toronto Raptors’ stir for the NBA title last year. If you’re one of them, you’re probably missing hangers right now. Netflix is starting to fill some of that void, and whether you’re a long-time basketball junkie or a reality show fan, there’s a lot to be excited about. That’s because more than 20 years after the scenes were recorded by Michael Jordan’s final season and championship with the Chicago Bulls, the resulting documentary finally sees the light of day.
A co-production of ESPN movies and Netflix, the 10-part The Last Dance, was moved up from a scheduled June turnout this Sunday in the U.S. and Monday in Canada. Episodes hit Netflix in the country two at a time, starting Monday, until the last two go live on May 18.
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The series begins with a shot from behind of a seated Jordan looking out at the horizon while a crawl sets up where things stood at the time, Star Wars style. To recap: Jordan’s Bulls had won five titles in the last seven seasons and were preparing to try for the third time, but everyone wondered if this would be one of the biggest runs in sports history at because of various tough feelings in the front office and among some of the players mainly due to jealousy and monetary disputes.
Coincidental clips of Jordan’s franchise-saving arrival in Chicago in 1984 with the man himself, appropriately addressed the United Center crowd 23 years later with five NBA championship trophies put out in front of him, The Last Dance rolling and immediately drawing viewers in. never stops doing that, at least over the first four episodes that Postmedia was given to the screen.
For starters, it’s a bit jarring to see a young, humble, low-key Jordan with hair vs. all the intersecting later shots of the most dominant player in NBA history doing his thing, along with the reflections of the current business titan, now in his late fifties.
Unlike VHS tapes and DVDs of the 1980s and 90s that built up the Jordan legend where he put him in a class, as someone interviewed in the document, only with the likes of Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali, this work is not just hagiography. Jordan is presented with warts and all. From cruelly ripping longtime Bulls general manager Jerry Krause – the driving force of the ill-conceived desire to tear the team apart – to his face, to being merciless with his teammates during tough stretches, that’s why Jordan has told director Jason Hehir (Andre the giant, The Fab Five, The ’85 Bears) that people will think he’s “a horrible guy” and don’t understand why he acted the way he did when watching the movie. “My innate personality is winning at all costs. If I have to do it myself, (I will) do it … It drives me insane when I can’t, ”Jordan says years later in trying to explain his thinking and actions. His mother, Deloris, and brother, Ronnie, also provide some insight into where he got these traits from, based on his upbringing.
And that’s the true triumph of the series. Amazingly, Jordan, one of the most famous and controlled people on the planet for over 35 years, is now presented as a human being. When do you ever remember Jordan being revealed as such? Not just as a myth, but as a living, breathing person. It’s impossible not to chuck when Jordan is handed a tablet showing a video of his mother reading a letter a teenager Jordan wrote to her while in college in North Carolina. In it, Jordan, who is now a billionaire and owns the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, says he’s down to his last $ 20, so he could use a handout with some stamps from his parents. “And sorry about the phone bill,” Jordan adds. In another moment, Jordan laughs and tells a story when asked about the cocaine problems of some of his team of rookie seasons.
While sports provide much of the background to the journey, there is so much more here. There are Survivor and Big Brother elements because of the rare, close and personal recordings that were simply not done at the time. Jordan commissioned the crew when it became clear that 1997-98 would be the end of a notable era and head coach Phil Jackson and ownership were on board. What they revealed was the devastating nature of the organization at the time. All the intrigues of the palace are there. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf tries to explain the still astounding reasoning behind tearing down the iconic group and starting a rebuild, recalling that the Bulls almost made a mistake a year earlier after the fifth title. It’s something to see Jordan openly challenge leadership and ownership while on a dais right after winning number five. The same night, Jordan’s running mate Scottie Pippen, who also appears strong throughout, especially in Section 2, holds nothing back in talking about being underpaid and not respected by the Bulls. Jordan is also there, saying he won’t play for another coach if Jackson is pushed out by Krause, who basically forced the ownership hand to give Jackson another year. Jackson called last season “The Last Dance.”
Jordan talked about how angry the idea of not trying to win again made him.
“We have the right to defend what we have until we lose it.” Then he mocked the idea of rebuilding and burying the Chicago Cubs by saying they had rebuilt for 42 years, took a shot at ownership by saying they should have respect for the people who made them profitable – an open answer to Krause, who said organizations win championships, not players – that came under Jordan’s skin. Krause would unsuccessfully try to clean up the controversial offer by saying he said players and coaches alone are not winning championships.
“We felt like we were the greatest team ever,” Pippen says at one point, making it clear that he still doesn’t understand why some were so eager to move on.
And, yes, yes, there are plenty of Dennis Rodman, the most unique athlete we’ve ever seen, as well as thoughts from those like Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, Jordan’s Canadian Bulls teammate Bill Wennington (who provides strong insights into whole), former Raptor and the close Jordan pal Charles Oakley (who memorably appears abusive with an overly confident rookie Pippen). Bill Clinton, a fellow in Arkansas, even seems to be discussing watching Pippen play for the first time since Clinton was still governor of this state.
The late David Stern and Krause and even Chicago native Barack Obama, who speaks of not being able to afford a ticket in Jordan’s early years when the hanger icon had saved the franchise and nearly tripled their attendance, all provide some historical context.
Jordan can’t save the world, but thanks to his foresight in hiring the camera crew and so many working in the decades to make The Last Dance happen, he and his friends and enemies can at least lighten up our days a little bit the next couple of weeks.
