Being a ’98 baby had it’s perks. I was born a Chicago Bulls fan, no questions asked. Right out of the womb I was dressed in a Bulls onesie, pictured next to a basketball, and grew up watching Space Jam on repeat with my older brother.
The first episode of The Last Dance was released on April 19, 2020. It is a 10 part American sports documentary miniseries directed by Jason Heir and co-produced by ESPN Films and Netflix revolving on the career of Michael Jordan, focusing on his final season with the Chicago Bulls. It also includes commentary by Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr.
The way The Last Dance was organized told a story of Jordan’s progression from UNC collegiate athlete to NBA superstar, leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles. Jordan spent 15 seasons in the pros, averaging more than 3o points per game. He won 6 championship titles and 6 MVP awards throughout his career. Nothing was left on the court: Jordan’s blood, sweat, and tears were portrayed through videos and the words he spoke while reflecting back on previous memories with the bulls.
Pictured above in colorful print, Jordan is smoking a cigar after his first championship win in 1991. In an interview, Jordan says he use to smoke a cigar before every home game, becoming part of his game-day ritual. Some remember Jordan for his famous dunk tag-lined ‘air Jordan,’ while others remember him for always having a cigar hanging out of his mouth.
If The Last Dance came out in 2020, and Jordan’s reign was over 20 years ago, how was this possible? The media knew how special Jordan was, and they captured everything. When you watch this so-called docu-series a second, third, maybe even a fourth time, you start to pick up on the little things as opposed to the storyline. You notice the order, the choice of music, the people chosen to be featured, when certain footage was chosen, the celebrations, the scandals, all of it. It’s rumored that Jordan had final executive say on it, but there was strategy behind the decisions made upon media cuts.
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