Michael Jordan played basketball. He turned winning into a global brand. “The Last Dance” shows you the price, the pressure, and the obsession that fueled the most famous athlete of all time.
Trailer for “The Last Dance”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Jordan punched teammate Steve Kerr in the face during practice. Kerr earned MJ’s respect for fighting back, and the two became close afterward.
- After his father was murdered, Jordan quit basketball in 1993 to play minor league baseball — a move that shocked the world. He returned to the NBA in 1995 midseason, immediately flipping the Bulls back into title contenders.
- Isiah Thomas, one of the greatest point guards ever, was left off the 1992 Dream Team. Many believe that Jordan refused to play if Thomas was included.
- In his very last season, with Krause openly plotting a rebuild, Jordan still led the Bulls to their second three-peat, capped by his final shot over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the ’98 Finals.
Watch “The Last Dance”
You can watch “The Last Dance” on Netflix.
You can also check streaming availability at JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 100/100
- IMDB Rating: 9.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 95/100 (Users); 97/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Jason Hehir directed this 10-part docuseries. He’s known for other ESPN Films like “The Fab Five” and “Andre the Giant” (which my colleague Rob Kelly rated 98/100). He also directed “Murder in Boston“, which I ranked 95/100/ He interviewed 106 people for this series — from presidents to ex-players — and revealed why LeBron James wasn’t included.
Fun fact: Klay Thompson’s uncle (Andy Thompson) was one of the cameramen who filmed the Bulls in ’98 — he pitched the doc to NBA exec Adam Silver.
Release Date: Premiered April 19, 2020 on ESPN (U.S.), and April 20, 2020 globally on Netflix.
My Review of “The Last Dance”
The Setup
The doc isn’t just about the ’97–98 season. It backtracks to Jordan’s drafting in 1984, the bitter politics between GM Jerry Krause and ownership, the arrival of Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman’s chaotic energy, and the rise of MJ into global superstardom (see: Dream Team, Gatorade, Nike). Each episode weaves the Bulls’ season-long “last dance” with flashbacks that explain how this dynasty was built — and nearly torn apart by ego and management.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Phil Jackson gained Jordan’s trust by bonding over shared playoff scars from the Pistons and Lakers battles.
- Scottie Pippen’s infamous refusal to play the final 1.8 seconds of a playoff game in 1994 when the last shot wasn’t drawn up for him.
- The Pacers pushing the Bulls to a Game 7 in the ’98 Eastern Conference Finals — one of the toughest series of the dynasty.
- Exclusive locker room access shows Jordan’s brutal competitiveness — from trash talk to mind games — that few teammates ever forgot.
- Behind-the-scenes of MJ’s “Be Like Mike” campaign and how his global image dwarfed the NBA itself.
- Dennis Rodman asked for a 48-hour vacation in Las Vegas… during the middle of the season. Phil Jackson approved. Rodman disappeared for much longer, partying with Carmen Electra, before being dragged back by Jordan himself.
Cameos
- Barack Obama (credited cheekily as “former Chicago resident”)
- Bill Clinton recalling the Arkansas days of Scottie Pippen
- Reggie Miller sharing what it was like to push Jordan to the brink in ’98
- Carmen Electra recounting Rodman’s wild Vegas “vacation”
- Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant offering perspectives on Jordan’s legacy
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- The crew shot nearly 500 hours of footage in 1998 — and Jordan himself had to give final approval before the doc was ever released, which is why it sat for two decades.
- MJ’s competitive streak went beyond basketball: he gambled on everything, from golf to coin tosses, and teammates called it both inspiring and toxic.
- Rodman’s off-court antics masked how disciplined he was on the court — he studied film obsessively to track how rebounds bounced off different players’ shots.
- Scottie Pippen was so underpaid (5-year, $18M deal) that by the late ’90s he was the 122nd-highest paid player in the league — despite being the second-best in the world.
- The documentary finally showed Krause’s side — he felt he never got credit for building the dynasty, even though he drafted Pippen, traded for Rodman, and hired Phil Jackson.
Wrap Up
“The Last Dance” is one of the best sports doc ever made. It’s about what it costs to be the best, and how Michael Jordan demanded perfection from everyone around him.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc