The highly anticipated documentary The Last Dance was released on ESPN last night . The documentary showcased the life of the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan and the final run of the Bulls dynasty during the 1997-98 season . Jordan and the Bulls allowed NBA Entertainment to follow them throughout the season and document their final championship together. The series features never-before-seen footage, as well as interviews with more than 100 people close to the team.
Episodes 1 and 2 of the documentary discussed the behind the scenes of the 1997-98 series which was called the last dance by head coach Phil Jackson because it was the last season for the team as it was . It featured the conflict between general manager Jerry Krause, and Scottie Pippen’s contract along with Michael Jordan rise.
For the 3rd and 4th episodes the focus was about the “badboy ” Pistons as a rival competitive team along with Dennis Rodman
Episodes 5 and 6 featured the late Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan the sneaker brand ,New York Knicks, Michael’s rumored gambling addiction .
The Last Dance’ aired episodes 7 and 8 of the 10-part documentary series looking at Michael Jordan’s legacy , the death of his father , retirement from basketball to play baseball along with the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the nineties.
Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ final championship run during the 1997-98 season finished Sunday.
Reggie Miller will not call Michael Jordan by his actual name #blackjesus #lastdance
— Vendetta Media (@VendettaVSM) May 18, 2020
Episode 9 began with a look at the rivalry that developed between Jordan and Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller. Jordan talked about how beating the Pacers “became personal to me” as tensions between the two teams reached their zenith during the 1998 Eastern Conference finals.
Miller, for his part, never backed down to Jordan, but he quickly learned how competitive Jordan could be in an instant.
“Never talk trash to black Jesus,” Miller said.
Michael Jordan’s fight with Reggie Miller pic.twitter.com/qwSeS0k9hA
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 18, 2020
Aye Reggie Miller is undervalued! Was a problem. #LastDance
— Vincent M Edwards (@VE_12) May 18, 2020
Reggie Miller has a Flame Thrower🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 18, 2020
Karl Malone won the NBA’s most valuable player award for the 1996-97 season motivated Jordan during the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. Jordan also recounted his first meeting with Jazz forward Bryon Russell and how it ended up being a motivating factor for Jordan in the series, too.
Karl Malone was a BAD man. Those matchups with Rodman>>>
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) May 18, 2020
Damnnn Bryon Russell 🤦🏾♂️😂
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) May 18, 2020
Look at those final scores compared to now…84-82? When was the last time both teams scored under 90pts in a game?
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) May 18, 2020
Jordan then spoke about Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals — the infamous “flu game.”
The night before the game, ordered a pizza from his Salt Lake City hotel room. Jordan’s personal trainer, Tim Grover, immediately grew suspicious when “five guys” delivered the pizza.
But Jordan ate the entire pizza, and he quickly regretted it. “It wasn’t the flu. It was food poisoning,” he said.
Despite Jordan feeling awful, he put up one of the greatest performances in NBA playoff history in Game 5 to deliver the Bulls to victory.
What?!?!?!? #NoFluGame #FoodPoisoning pic.twitter.com/pL1JVouBb3
— Sombrero Man (@FKNTORO) May 18, 2020
At least now I know I ain’t eating pizza in Utah anymore😳💯
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 18, 2020
5 people delivering 1 late night pizza on the road during the Finals? #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/Zll0zFnotC
— Mo Bamba (@TheRealMoBamba) May 18, 2020
“I didn’t know he was sick and i thought he played a great game”
– Jerry Sloan on MJ after flu game (we just found out was food poisoning game)— Festus Ezeli (@FestusEzeli) May 18, 2020
Definitely just gonna stick with “the flu” game it sounds a lot better!
— Vincent M Edwards (@VE_12) May 18, 2020
I bet that pizza place feels really dumb 😂😂😂
— Eric Paschall (@epaschall) May 18, 2020
I’m weak ah they calling it “ the pizza game “ 🤣🤣😂😂
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) May 18, 2020
For episode 10 of the last dance documentary it featured the Bulls’ victory over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals which turned out to be Michael Jordan’s sixth and final championship title.
https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1262209390444068864
#TheLastDance is giving me chills! Jordan is a bad man smh!
— Paul Millsap (@Paulmillsap4) May 18, 2020
MJ scores half the points while the second best player is hurt all game, on the road, in a close out game goes and gets the final steal, and winning shot……will never see another #payhomage
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) May 18, 2020
“Why would I think about missing a shot I haven’t taken yet?” -MJ
— Tyus Jones (@1Tyus) May 18, 2020
“I’m going to slide a ring on your finger that’s all you need to know….” 😂😂😂Jordan the 🐐
— DeMarre Carroll (@DeMarreCarroll1) May 18, 2020
This MJ doc was special 🔥, they need to put together a Kobe one asap
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) May 18, 2020
Was that shot against Russell… Michael Jordan’s biggest shot of his career?! ?🤔
— DeMarre Carroll (@DeMarreCarroll1) May 18, 2020
The documentary also showed in 10th and final episode of ESPN’s The Last Dance, which is a popular 10-part documentary about former Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan and centers around the team’s sixth and final title glory at the 1997-1998 championship before Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led dynasty dispersed, bleacherreport.com reported.
Dennis Rodman had once skipped a practice session during the 1998 NBA Finals in order to take part in a World Wrestling Championship event. The episode re-evaluated Rodman’s decision to miss his practice between his side Chicago Bulls’ 96-54 Game 3 victory over the Utah Jazz and Game 4 in order to make appearance in WCW.
https://twitter.com/JNASLDN/status/1262478844801490953
Rodman made his first wrestling appearance when he aligned himself with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in March 1997. He went on to make periodic appearances for the company, mostly in the offseason.
“I wasn’t trying to do anything. I was just trying to play basketball, party, da, da, da, da… Just be me. Dennis s–t, you know,” Rodman said during the episode. ” American model and singer Carmen Electra, who dated and married Rodman before eventually splitting in 1999, said that the former American basketball player took a detour from playing with the Bulls in order to become a wrestler with Hulk Hogan.
Anyone else wish Dennis Rodman played in the social media age of today? 😂#TheLastDance #rodman #dennisrodman pic.twitter.com/10FrMaw1kF
— CommuniPoint (@CommuniPoint) May 18, 2020
In the middle of Bulls’ gruelling NBA Finals series against Jazz, the 6-foot 7 inches rebounding machine skipped the practice and managed to sneak past more than 300 media members through the back of the building from Gate No 3, which was designated entrance for the press.
Simple as that 😂😂 @dennisrodman #TheLastDance #DennisRodman #MichaelJordan pic.twitter.com/ir84IuuWR7
— Marlon ⚪️ (@marlonthedoc) May 18, 2020
Wait a min!!!! That wasn’t even the worst part …. the worst part was I got charged wit assault….. and u somehow didn’t !!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂 only in America https://t.co/8fjZXIdsNv
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) May 18, 2020
Supervisors: “Why haven’t you been at work or attending any meetings?”
Me: “I was hanging out at my other job.”#TheLastDance#DennisRodman pic.twitter.com/MWbih5fTpS
— Shakethia Arrington (@Muffinbaked1980) May 18, 2020
However, Rodman’s off-court activities had never affected his game. He was named Defensive player of the Year twice. The American bagged a total of five NBA championships, including three straight with the Bulls from 1995 to 1998.
My God. #DennisRodman missing an #NBAFinals game to wrestle with the N…W…O! Can you even imagine that happening in this day and age?! The media and social media frenzy would be insane. As a fan of both the Bulls and the NWO, I loved it, but still it was insane. #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/8fPVDM1IHB
— John Rocha aka The Outlaw Nation (@TheRochaSays) May 18, 2020
Rodman had also contributed a team-high 50 rebounds across six games during 1998 NBA Finals.
My OG #DennisRodman pic.twitter.com/khlnAHupP9
— Ricky (@itsrickygat) May 13, 2020
The last Dance ended with Michael Jordan and Bulls reflecting on their time together and moving on from the dynasty.
Even after the finale last night, I still find myself thinking about this clip more than anything in #TheLastDancepic.twitter.com/bpoYbJRbCS
— Ryan Olthoff (@Ma1zeandB1ue) May 19, 2020
The end of Episode 7 … WOW.#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/N3c5lN0mLI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 11, 2020
“I felt like we could have won seven. I really believe that,” Jordan said. “We may not have. But man, just not to be able to try, that’s just something that I can’t accept for whatever reason. I just can’t accept it.”
"MABUHAY" Chicago Bulls History #MJ23Goat #MichaelJordan #ChicagoBulls #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/Mhmq0TKS1x
— kuneh00 (@kuneh00) May 19, 2020
The Last Shot#Game6Live pic.twitter.com/bP7HVZ9I4y
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2020
The baton's been passed – the legacy continues. #jumpman #thelastdance #stayme7o pic.twitter.com/pBHyEKjdy4
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) May 18, 2020
THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!
— Jordan Bell (@1jordanbell) May 18, 2020
We needed this 😭😭😭 #TheLastDance
— Robert Covington (@Holla_At_Rob33) May 18, 2020
THE. LAST. SHOT.#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/IgSH5CeKbB
— NBA Italia (@NBAItalia) May 19, 2020
Michael Jordan is THE GOAT!
Case Closed! #thelastdance pic.twitter.com/MVCgOc4Fvn
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) May 19, 2020