While we had been sitting and waiting for basketball games to return due to the coronavirus, it was a blessing from ESPN that we were able to watch The Last Dance, which chronicled the 1998 Chicago Bulls’ season in which they were able to win their sixth NBA championship. It was a star-studded, 10-episode miniseries, as it featured Chicago Bulls’ legendary players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and other very good teammates such as Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, and others that played with Jordan. We also had the opportunity to hear former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson and owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s perspectives, as well as other celebrities such as Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.
(Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Best Moments:
Listening to the tune of L.L. Cool J’s “I’m Bad” while seeing Michael Jordan score 63 points in Game 2 of the 1986 NBA playoffs was perfection at work. It was truly remarkable that he had come back from having broken his foot early in the season as he willed his way back, and he showed off a tremendous mid-range game and scoring skills. His superb performance wasn’t quite enough to defeat the 1986 Boston Celtics, but this was before Jordan was able to team up with other very good players such as Pippen, Grant, Kukoc, B.J. Armstrong, and others.
Seeing Michael Jordan’s competitiveness on full display was a breath of fresh air. All too often throughout the 1990s, we were being force fed a clean-cut, corporate image of Jordan, but it’s great to see that competitive fire and spirit finally being stoked and shown in all of its glory. Having read the Jordan Rules many years ago, I always knew he was a fiery player and leader on the court, and it’s about time the public gets to hear how truly difficult it is for teams to win championships. Jordan’s competitive spirit really takes the cake, whether if it’s in basketball, on the golf course, or in gambling, he’ll make sure that he will get the victory.
It was also really good to see Kobe Bryant give his perspective in Episode 5, as Jordan and Kobe had crossed paths in the 1998 All-Star game. You could tell it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, with Jordan as the mentor, and Kobe as the protégé, and Kobe was there to soak the knowledge from MJ so that he can win numerous titles of his own someday. From one great of his era to another, it was really good to see their evolving friendship shown.
Listening to stories of Dennis Rodman’s wild stories were truly something else. He took time off practices to go wrestle, to hang out with Carmen Electra in Las Vegas, and to take time off partying all night was truly wild to hear, as well as the time when Jordan went to visit Rodman to bring him back to practice. Rodman was one of the original Bad Boys, and he was one of the best players of his time. Rodman was pound for pound the best rebounder there was, but head coach Phil Jackson truly showed extraordinary patience to help get the best out of both Rodman and his team to get the second three-peat.
It was really nice to see how underrated a team that the 1994 Chicago Bulls were, even if they fell short in the NBA playoffs because it was in the time period where Jordan was retired. Scottie Pippen had a terrific season that year, as he also was the All-Star game’s MVP, and Toni Kukoc had a really good rookie season. There were sequences where the 1994 Bulls showed off great passing skills and ball movement, and it was really good to see that they ran the Triangle Offense to perfection.
Re-visiting how truly hard the road was for the 1998 Chicago Bulls to win the title made this documentary really riveting to watch. The Bulls squared off against a tough Indiana Pacers team in the Eastern Conference Finals and barely managed to win in 7 games, and they faced a very competitive Utah Jazz squad and defeated them in 6 on Michael Jordan’s famous jumper over Bryon Russell.
It was good to re-visit the Flu Game. That was one of the greatest games of NBA playoff history, and people were wondering what the cause was. The most likely culprit, was probably bad pizza, even if the makers refuse to admit it. But whatever the case, Jordan was ill, but managed to score 38 points and get his team a much needed win in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, as they would go on to win the series over the Utah Jazz.
Seeing Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavliers were truly interesting to watch. I loved watching how it unfolded and led up to “The Shot,” in which Jordan made the shot on Ehlo, as it was good, and the game was over, and the rest was history, as the Bulls went on to win that series.
It was breathtaking to watch how close Michael Jordan was to his father and to his security guards, most namely Gus Lett, as they shared such a close bond with each other. It was heart breaking when his father was murdered in late July in 1993, and Jordan needed time away from basketball as he had a very stressful, trying year. It was also good to see the documentary visit his experiences with baseball and in the movie Space Jam, as that helped get his competitive juices flowing back into basketball.
Michael Jordan hanging out made for some of the best bits of this documentary. It was also fun to see Michael Jordan rock out to some groovy tunes, as he was listening to Kenny Lattimore’s then upcoming album, From The Soul Of Man. This even helped inspire a Twitter user to dedicate a whole page to Jordan jamming to the music. It also was fun to see him and Jerry Seinfeld talk in the locker room, and we get to learn that Bill Wennington and trainer, Chip Schaeffer were the pop culture experts on the team and fans of Seinfeld.
The most compelling player perspectives amongst other players from other teams were Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, and Gary Payton. They truly believed that their teams would win, and they were able to get awfully close. Hearing their side of the story really made for a unique experience that really had me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew that the Bulls would go on to win.
NBA reporter David Aldridge gave some great interviews, and it was quite interesting to re-watch those old Chicago Bulls-New York Knicks playoff series. Those were some intense times.
It was very interesting to see Jordan rag on Scott Burrell. Before the documentary, Burrell was probably known as a mere rotation player on the 1998 Chicago Bulls, and as a former first round pick that excelled at Connecticut in college, but we were really able to see how hard it was for a young player to break into a veteran team during a championship run. It's also good to see that the vibes were all seemingly in good spirit and fun.
It was also good to hear other former players speak in this documentary. We were able to hear perspectives from not just the well-known former players such as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr, but also the less well-known ones such as Bill Wennington, Will Perdue, and B.J. Armstrong. It was really interesting to see Steve Kerr speak about his upbringing, as he went from a virtual unknown to winding up at Arizona and then the NBA, but it was really tragic and sad to hear about his father’s passing in Lebanon.
Not So Good Moments:
I’ve always known that Scottie Pippen was underpaid, but it seems to get in the way of the Chicago Bulls’ success stories. It’s not fun to hear people gripe, no matter how just it is, but I understand the reason of why it may be necessary. Pippen was one of the best players, but was being vastly underpaid, but he signed a long-term contract that the Chicago Bulls refused to allow him to get out of. Pippen probably should’ve signed a shorter-term contract, or at least include opt-outs in case of he were to outperform his deals.
Former Bulls’ executive Jerry Krause didn’t do himself any favors during the 1997-98 season, as his comments about not wanting to bring Phil back or to bring the Bulls back after 1998 really casted him in a bad light. The great moves he’s made for the Bulls in the past really get overshadowed by his untimely comments and unyielding desire to go for a rebuild.
Unfortunately, Scottie Pippen doesn’t really come off super well in this documentary, and in the 1994 playoffs, he chose to sit out in the final remaining seconds of Game 3 against the Knicks because the play was not being drawn up for him and he was asked to be the inbounder, so it took away from what should have been a glamorous moment in which Toni Kukoc made the game-winning shot.
Pippen was a very unselfish player that could do everything on the court, which made him one of the all-time great second bananas in NBA history, but choosing to sit out was a very selfish move on his part, and doubling down by saying that he would do it again did not make him look any better in retrospect. This doesn’t take away the overall value of what Pippen contributed to his team though, as his strong all-around skills that included terrific playmaking and defensive skills really helped Jordan and the Bulls win 6 titles.
The coverage of Michael Jordan’s alleged gambling issues really seemed to take the focus off the basketball, and while it may have been necessary to cover that during the 1993 season, it just seemed like people were trying to poke holes at Jordan’s legacy.
That Michael Jordan comes across as rather apolitical is not a good look for him, and not publicly endorsing Harvey Gantt leaves a pretty bad taste in the mouth. Jordan could’ve used his influence to bring about more social change, but it’s clear that his primary focus is on basketball, so perhaps that can’t be held against him too much.
There’s been quite the fallout stemming from this documentary, as there have been reported rifts from numerous former Chicago Bulls’ players, as Michael Jordan’s boldness from his interviews seemed to rub other former players the wrong way, namely Horace Grant. You could argue that maybe he could’ve been a little more diplomatic in his interviews, but when you tell the truth, well, you can’t please everybody.
Missed Opportunities:
We didn’t get in-person perspectives from former players such as Luc Longley, who started on the '96-98 Chicago Bulls, or enough perspectives from Ron Harper on the 1998 Chicago Bulls’ season, as this documentary was quite Jordan-centric. Of course, Jordan is what makes you tune in, but seeing other points of view would’ve been a welcoming addition to the process, too.
While they were giving us a tour into the past by looking into the Bulls from 1990 to 1998, what was missing was a more detailed look at former 3-time Three-Point contest champion Craig Hodges, who was also the only member of the early ‘90s Bulls’ teams to both write a letter to the White House and also wear a dashiki there. He was on the 1991 and 1992 Chicago Bulls’ championship teams, but did not play in the NBA after that. Hodges was very politically active, and it would’ve been good to hear his perspective on matters.
Also a missed opportunity was the possibility of taking a longer look at Cliff Levingston, who was a role player on the 1991 and 1992 Chicago Bulls’ teams, and provided the main voice of the huddle during those years. His energy and locker room influence could’ve been talking points to explore further in those years, and it would’ve been nice to follow up on his career afterwards.
Because former Chicago Bulls’ executive Jerry Krause is now deceased, we really don’t get to see his point of view on how he ran things in the front office, and he isn’t alive to tell his perspective on why he was so eager to start a rebuild after the Chicago Bulls had won many championships. Perhaps he would’ve stated his belief that great things don’t last forever, but to some (or many), he’ll be known as the man who helped break up a dynasty.
That would be unfortunate in his case, as he also helped make a lot of really good moves to help the Bulls win 6 titles (such as trading for Pippen, drafting Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc, and trading for Dennis Rodman), but there will always be a what if in terms of what might have happened if the Chicago Bulls had decided to try to go for a seventh championship.
What If?
If the documentary had decided to give a more detailed epilogue, and include Washington Wizards’ players’ point of views of Michael Jordan, would that take away from his legacy?
If Phil Jackson had decided to come back to coach the 1999 Chicago Bulls and if everyone had come back, would the Bulls have won a seventh title? Would Jordan still have cut his hand on a cigar-cutter? Because if he still would have gotten injured, he would have missed most of the 1998-99 season.
Could other teams have tried to get Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen, to lure them away if the Bulls were hell-bent on breaking up the team? Also, if the price were steep, would that have been worth it?
Could the filmmakers have just placed a zoom call to Ron Harper and Luc Longley to get some quick interviews with them? They were starters on the 1998 Chicago Bulls’ teams!
Overall Grade for the Last Dance:
✰✰✰✰4 out of 5 stars
Director Jason Hehir did a great job of piecing together such a vivid and satisfying retelling of the Chicago Bulls’ years. It may not be perfect, as this documentary is quite Jordan-centric. If you’re a fan of Michael Jordan, you’ll love this documentary. If you didn’t really know who he was, you’ll find the episodes to be quite entertaining. If you rooted for other teams during the 1990s though, you might come away disappointed, as the other teams mostly serve as mere background fodder. In any case, Michael Jordan was truly the greatest player of his time, and his competitive fire was unmatched, and the 1990s Chicago Bulls were one of the best and most exciting teams in sports history.
5-Star Rubric in grading films, documentaries, or TV shows:
5 stars – Amazing, great the first time, and has amazing re-watch value, a timeless classic
4.5 stars – Great, great the first time, and has definite re-watch value
4 stars – Great, great the first time, solid re-watch value
3.5 stars – Very good, holds up well each time
3 stars – Good, very good the first time, but less so in subsequent viewings
2.5 stars – Okay, worth watching on cable, but not much re-watch value
2 stars – Average, may have some entertaining moments, but otherwise mediocre, and has little to no re-watch value
1.5 stars – Not good, only worth watching on cable if you’re interested in the subject
1 star – Bad, not worth seeing
0.5 stars – Skip!
