The Last Dance documentary series from ESPN and Netflix that showcases Michael Jordan and his time with the Chicago Bulls. Different staff members from The Clarion will be reviewing the episodes and sharing what they liked and didn’t like.  This is an opinion piece on the first two episodes of the documentary. 

By Abby Pautz

The gist of it: 6/10, amazing video work, barely any moments that pull your heartstrings, history that can get boring, behind the scenes action of bare wearing Michael, not much drama, and worth the watch. 

The non-gist of it: I sat down on my basement couch, excited to turn my TV to channel 202. Anyone who has admired and knows the game of basketball watched The Last Dance and was intrigued the entire time. I admire basketball but I need more hardships besides behind the scenes of salary issues or relationships between general managers and coaches although ESPN was granted more access to the team which as a basketball fan was cool to watch. I just wanted to cry and see more emotion from the interviewees. 

Tongue out, gum chewing, one hoop earring Michael Jordan. People loved and still love him and they loved the Bulls in the 90’s. Who wouldn’t? The admiration of basketball has withered as time has gone on. Today, if I attend any professional sporting event people don’t chant a player’s name like they chanted Michael’s and they don’t swarm the team bus to see the team walk into the venue like they did all over the world for the Chicago Bulls. The only time I’ve seen the love for an athlete like the love people had for Michael Jordan was this past January when Kobe Bryant tragically passed away.

I was born in 1998. Michael Jordan was already a legend before I was even born. He had his first three-peat from 1991-1993 so by the time I was born he had 6 rings, was a 5-time MVP and played in the MLB to take a break from basketball. Jordan was long gone from the NBA when I started watching basketball. Still, Michael Jordan has made such a long-lasting impact on the game of basketball that today there is a huge debate about whether Lebron James or Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all-time. 

Michael Jordan is a hero in many people’s lives but I don’t think that the first two episodes of the documentary showed enough of who he is as a person instead of just an athlete. This was just the first two hours of the 10-hour series so I hope this is just an introduction that needed to include a lot of background and factual information. 

I want more than just basketball. I am excited to see the remainder of the series. 

Quotes that stood out:

“Whenever they speak Michael Jordan they should speak Scottie Pippen,” Michael Jordan says recently about previous teammate Scottie Pippen. 

“That was God disguised as Michael Jordan,” Larry Bird after the 1986 playoff series against the Celtics.