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I know I’m not breaking much ground here by making this statement, but now that we’re eight episodes into “The Last Dance” one thing has been made very obvious the past month – Michael Jordan is the coolest athlete ever.
There is no debate here. He’s the GOAT of cool and the GOAT at hoops, too. Yeah, I said it. I’m out here living on the ledge!
But seriously, these episodes and all the behind-the-scenes footage of Jordan have been incredible. We’ve been able to see how easily he was able to handle all the attention he got during his prime, when he was the best basketball player in the world and the most marketable, too. He always seemed cool and able to handle anything, except beating a security guard in quarters.
Sunday night we learned more about his move to baseball after his father’s death. Did you forget about his 13-game hitting streak to start his Double-A career? Yeah, I did too. Also, his .202 average was pretty impressive considering the greatest basketball player ever quit his sport to play baseball, a sport he hadn’t played since he was 17 years old. His manager, Terry Francona, said he thought Jordan could have made it the majors if he had more time and I totally agree. Also, Jordan looked so cool playing baseball, whether he was running out an infield hit or firing in a ball from the outfield. The guy just oozes swagger.
One of the best moments Sunday night happened at the end of the seventh episode when Jordan explained why he was so hard on his teammates over the years and got emotional while doing it before getting out of his chair and walking away from the interview. I’m gonna be watching this video on a loop all day today and whenever I need a spark to be lit inside me.
We also saw Jordan talking some serious trash in the locker room while holding a baseball bat in his hands and having a lit cigar in his mouth, all while fully dressed for practice.
We got to see him come back to the NBA wearing the No. 45 jersey. They showed his game-winning shot in his second game back against the Hawks in Atlanta and then his 55-point game against the Knicks at MSG.
Then during the playoffs against the Magic he surprisingly ditched his No. 45 for his legendary 23 jersey before Game 2 of their semifinal series and had a monster game in a win in Orlando.
The Bulls lost that series and in the locker room after the final game his trainer asked when he’d see Jordan to start the offseason programming. The trainer thought it would be a few weeks or longer down the line. Jordan had other plans, saying he’d see him “tomorrow.”
How. Damn. Cool.
We got to see how hard we worked while filming “Space Jam” and then how hard he worked in some legendary pickup games at night with other NBA stars that helped pushed him back to greatness.
The eighth episode ended with Jordan winning his fourth title with a victory at home over the Seattle Sonics. The game was on Father’s Day and his emotions were on full display after winning his first championship since his father’s death.
Jordan wasn’t too cool for emotions, which was so cool to be reminded of.
Michael Jordan, man. He’s the coolest.
You know what’s not cool? This series ends next week and I’m not ready for it to end!
Sunday’s biggest winner: Trevor Bauer.
The Reds pitcher made an appearance during one of ESPN’s KBO broadcast and the network mistakenly had his phone number in the shot. This could have been very frustrating for Bauer but instead he turned it into a positive by doing a giveaway for fans with the directions on his voicemail. That’s pretty great.
Quick hits: Just pay Dak already… Joe Rogan’s UFC 249 near mistake… Booger out of MNF… And more!
– My pal Steven Ruiz explained why we’re making this Dak Prescott contract situation too complicated and that the Cowboys should just pay him already.
– Joe Rogan hilariously stopped himself from making a mistake at end of a UFC 249 interview on Saturday night.
– Booger McFarland is reportedly out of ‘MNF’ booth and NFL fans all made a similar joke over the weekend.
– Dominick Cruz ripped the referee in his fight who ‘smelled like alcohol and cigarettes’ at UFC 249.
Henry McKenna explains how the NFL’s 2020 schedule shows it’s prepared for the pandemic to delay or shorten the season.
Reggie Bush could have made millions at USC with NCAA’s proposed ‘NIL’ rules.