Beyond The Last Dance – 5 Michael Jordan Stories We Want to Hear
The popularity of ESPN's Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance, has prompted the NBA to launch a followup podcast. Aptly titled Beyond The Last Dance, the program will explore additional storylines surrounding Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' 1997-1998 season.
Co-hosted by former Bulls reporter J.A. Adande and former Bulls point guard B. J. Armstrong, the podcast series consists of 10 40-minute episodes touching on the Bulls' historic 1997-1998 season when they claimed their sixth NBA title in eight years. Interviews with former players, coaches, and journalists will shine a light on previously unheard stories about the greatest basketball player of all time and one of the best teams in NBA history.
Jordan has consistently been in the public eye since he stepped on the court at the University of North Carolina, and while we've heard countless stories about His Airness over the years, there are a few in particular we'd like to be told in detail.
Here are five Michael Jordan-related storylines we'd like to hear more about.
Conversations with Rodman
Dennis Rodman — with his tattoos, piercings, and neon hair — was known for his bad boy behavior. He admittedly marched to the beat of his own drum, going so far as to leave the Bulls in the middle of the NBA Finals for a Las Vegas mini vacay, to take some time away from the pressures of the game. With all that being said, what the hell do you think Rodman and Jordan talked about? Did The Worm brush up on his golf lingo? Or do you think Jordan tried to get the scoop on his relationships with Carmen Electra and Madonna? They probably just gambled, since that's one thing — other than basketball — they have in common.
His teammates' thoughts on his baseball career
Jordan retired from the NBA for the first time prior to the 1993-1994 season, as he went on to play Minor League Baseball for 13 months. Though he was far less equipped on the baseball field than he was on the basketball court, the MJ hysteria still followed him wherever he went. His baseball career can be viewed through a number of lenses: The first — and most innocent — is that the greatest basketball player of all time was on the cusp of switching lanes mid-career and playing in the MLB, albeit for a player strike. The other, decidedly darker, is that MJ sat out a season because he was suspended for gambling, and the baseball season was a cover up so that the NBA wouldn’t damage the reputation of its biggest asset. Either way, the best basketball player in the world temporarily hanging it up to struggle in the Minor Leagues is definitely an oddity. Whether his teammates and opponents thought MJ had what it took to play MLB ball is secondary to why they thought he sat out a year...
Phil Jackson's impact
They don't call him the Zen Master for no reason. But still, it's easy to give all the credit to the players. Some will argue that, when you have the best of all time and another legendary hooper, there should be no problem coaching them to success. But how about managing the egos and all that comes with having a cult figure like Michael Jordan on your team? After leading the Bulls to six NBA titles, Phil secured five more as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, giving him more championships than any other coach in NBA history. We'd say his impact was quite significant. But how do the players feel?
Jordan's relationship with Kobe
Early on in Kobe's career, MJ referred to him as "that little Laker boy," but the two went on to become extremely close. Jordan has often called Bryant his little brother, and he was known to give him a great deal of advice throughout his career. Kobe was dubbed "the next Michael Jordan" upon coming into the league, a title that brought significant struggles during his first couple of years, which is when Jordan stepped in and took him under his wing to offer guidance. The two did go at it at first, however; in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, MJ felt Kobe pressuring him and responded by winning his third All-Star Game MVP award. Unfortunately, The Last Dance didn't go into detail about their relationship, leaving us curious about the dynamic between the two NBA greats.
The Wizards years
Professional athletes are known for being unable to accept when it's time to give up their respective sport. Jordan once insisted he wanted to go out in his prime, and that's what he did, albeit temporarily. After winning six championships with the Bulls, MJ decided to call it a career in 1998. His second retirement from the NBA lasted a bit longer than his first, but after being out of the league for three seasons, he made another comeback, this time with a different team. Michael played two seasons with the Washington Wizards after being a minority owner and president of basketball operations. During his first season — at age 38 and 39 — he was still a dominant force in the league. His second, however, was injury-plagued, as he began the year coming off the bench. He eventually went on to start, but the Wizards didn't make the playoffs, similar to the previous season. It was definitely strange seeing Jordan wear another NBA uniform other than the Bulls, but hey, we can't knock the GOAT for wanting to give it one last go.
Beyond The Last Dance premieres on Audible.com on August 31.
