Michael Jordan has been a huge topic of conversation as of late thanks to the ESPN documentary "The Last Dance." Every Sunday, two new episodes have aired and they have all been quite good. New information continues to be divulged and unfortunately, last night, the final two episodes made it to air. Now, our Sundays will be reduced to boredom, once again.
During Episode 9, one of the biggest stories was Reggie Miller and how the Indiana Pacers brought the Bulls to seven games in the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals. In the end, the Bulls came out on top, and Miller had to relive it all. As teammate Jalen Rose described during a podcast with director Jason Hehir, Miller originally didn't want to be a part of "The Last Dance" and needed to be convinced to do it. Eventually, he gave in knowing it would be a big moment.
“Interviewing Reggie, as somebody who played with him, I was trying to initially get him to interview for this doc. He didn’t want to do it. It was too much pain,” Rose said.
If you're a Pacers fan, last night wasn't easy but it was even harder for Jazz fans who had to watch MJ beat them in the Finals two years in a row.
"The Last Dance" Director Speaks On MJ & Kobe Bryant’s Bond
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant shared a special relationship that will be demonstrated in “The Last Dance.”
Michael Jordan was always one of the most competitive basketball players in NBA history although when it came to Kobe Bryant, he always had a bit of soft spot. Jordan was Kobe’s mentor and always gave him advice when he needed it. In fact, Kobe looked up to MJ and the Chicago Bulls legend always felt like Kobe was next in line to uphold the Jordan mantle.
When Kobe passed away, Jordan gave a touching speech at the memorial and even referred to Bryant as his little brother. Today, Episode 5 of “The Last Dance” is set to come out and it will be dedicated to Kobe whose interview is being featured. As director Jason Hehir said in a recent interview, Kobe shocked him when talking about his relationship with MJ. Hehir notes that the bond ran deeper than anyone would have thought.
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“I didn’t realize they had the relationship that they had until we interviewed Kobe in July a few weeks after the birth of his daughter (Capri),” Hehir said. “And he told me that from the time he was a youngster in the league, he did seek out Michael’s advice. But then Michael took it a step further and gave him his number and said, ‘Anytime you need advice – on or off the floor – you can call me.’ … (Kobe) said, ‘Michael is like the big brother that I never had. Without Michael Jordan, you don’t get Kobe Bryant.’”
Seeing Kobe in “The Last Dance” will truly be a sad moment for NBA fans who miss the Lakers star. Either way, we can’t wait to soak in all of his insight into the career of a legend.
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"The Last Dance" Director Shares Uproarious Dennis Rodman Story
Dennis Rodman wasn't exactly the easiest man to get in touch with for "The Last Dance."
Basketball fans have probably at least seen a little bit of "The Last Dance" which is the documentary based on Michael Jordan and his last season with the Bulls. Yesterday, episodes three and four aired on ESPN, and fans were excited to see that episode three was completely based around Dennis Rodman who was known for his antics and personality, at the time. Of course, Rodman is still very much a character and his behavior was on full display while trying to be interviewed for the doc.
As director Jason Hehir explained on "Jalen & Jacoby," Rodman was incredibly difficult to track down and when they were finally able to interview him, he was all over the place. In fact, most of the time he was trying to talk about North Korea.
“Interviewing Dennis Rodman is like interviewing a feral cat,” Hehir said. “He’s not looking in the same place, he’s got those big shades on. Every other statement was coming back to Kim-Jong Un and how he’s going to be in the history books. I’m like, ‘No. We’re talking about the Pistons. No Korea! No! Stay with me.' [...] “He’s like, ’10 hours, huh? I’ll give you 10 minutes. So he sits down, I’m just shooting with him, and he says, ‘I need a tuna sub from Subway and some chamomile tea.'”
Essentially, getting answers out of Rodman was like pulling teeth without any anesthetics. Regardless, the job got done and they were able to get the answers they needed out of him.
