Tag: The Last Dance

Michael Jordan’s game-worn jersey from ’92 Olympics goes for $216k in auction (Hoopshype)

While much of the sports world was glued to the debut of ‘The Last Dance’ Sunday night, a 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, an autographed jersey — worn by Jordan throughout the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona — sold in auction for $216,000.

While much of the sports world was glued to the debut of ‘The Last Dance’ Sunday night, a 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, an autographed jersey — worn by Jordan throughout the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona — sold in auction for $216,000.

Matt Forte, Thomas Jones air grievances about former Bears management

“The Last Dance” shined a light on the dark side of professional sports management, and some former Bears shared their own experiences.

The sports world saw its most excitement in over a month when the ESPN docuseries “The Last Dance” premiered on Sunday evening. The 10-part series details the Chicago Bulls’ final championship run back in 1998 and shows never-before-seen footage of one of the most iconic sports teams of all time.

Naturally, nearly every sports fan tuned to watch the first two episodes and had many thoughts on the Bulls, particularly regarding the mistrust between the Bulls players and their front office. A couple former Bears chimed in as well, then shared thoughts on their own team.

Former Bears running back Matt Forte, who played for the team from 2008-15, reacted to a Tweet from retired NFL receiver Torrey Smith, saying Bulls general manager Jerry Krause “ruined one of the greatest teams in any sport” as he reacted to the docuseries. Forte agreed and said it seems to be a common theme in Chicago.

When asked to elaborate, the former Pro-Bowl rusher didn’t hold back, airing his grievances with former Bears general managers Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery. Forte began with Emery, citing the way head coach Lovie Smith was fired in 2012 following a 10-6 season. He was also displeased with how Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher’s tenure ended with the team, along with linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Charles Tillman.

Forte then went on to detail his issues with Angelo, focusing on how his former boss wasn’t faithful in contract negotiations just prior to the 2011 season, Forte’s final year in his rookie deal.

That’s when Thomas Jones, another former Bears running back, entered the conversation to agree with Forte when it came to Angelo. Jones spent three seasons with the Bears from 2004-06 before getting dealt to the New York Jets for a second-round draft pick following the Bears loss in Super Bowl XLI. Like Forte, he has a similar issue with Angelo when it came to negotiating in good faith.

Angelo, who signed Jones as a free agent in 2004 and drafted Forte in the second-round of the 2008 NFL Draft, was fired following the 2011 season. Emery was hired as his replacement and got off to a rocky start with Forte.

The Bears placed the franchise tag on the team’s second all-time leading rusher, before eventually agreeing to a contract extension, giving Forte $32 million over four years with $18 million guaranteed. The two parties avoided a holdout situation heading into training camp. Emery would be fired just two seasons later after a disastrous season in 2014.

Forte apologized for his posts, saying the docuseries reminded him how great his own teams could have been.

Jones also made it clear he has no ill will towards Angelo, saying “it’s just the ugly part of the NFL,” and that he’s grateful for the opportunity he had to play in Chicago.

Getting a peek behind at the curtain at some of the issues that plagued arguably the greatest basketball dynasty ever brings out many emotions. As former players, Forte and Jones brought some of their own issues with team management to light after reacting to “The Last Dance.”

The question is, with millions of fans captivated by the docuseries and still eight episodes to go, what else might be shared by Chicago athletes over the next few weeks?

[lawrence-related id=442650,442631,442488,442633]

Steve Kerr on why younger NBA players and fans may not appreciate Michael Jordan’s dominance

Steve Kerr offered some initial thoughts after the premiere of The Last Dance documentary.

Surely everyone involved in the making of The Last Dance — the highly anticipated ESPN documentary series chronicling Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty in the 1990s — hopes fans take something specific away from it. That includes Steve Kerr, who was interviewed for the 10-part docuseries about his experience playing for the Bulls in the late ’90s.

With Sunday’s premiere of the series, the Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James debates are heating up again, especially as the coronavirus outbreak has people cooped up inside all day and starved for sports content. But some people who engage on that topic are at a disadvantage if they never really saw Jordan play — or, for players, if they never competed against him.

Kerr hopes The Last Dance might change people’s minds about that and help a younger generation of fans and players appreciate Jordan’s utter dominance.

While on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt on Sunday after the first two episodes aired, Kerr explained the emotions the docuseries elicits.

[lawrence-related id=911682]

The now-Golden State Warriors coach said:

“I just think how much fun it was to be a part of, how great NBA basketball was in the ’90s, how different it was then to now and how dominant Michael was — not just physically but spiritually. The hold he had over the entire league, over everybody, it was just dramatic.

“And I think that’s the hardest thing for the young players who didn’t see him play. They can see the highlights, but they can’t feel his dominance, and that’s what I hope this documentary really shows.”

When SVP then asked Kerr if there’s something those of us on the outside of the Bulls dynasty will never fully grasp. He continued:

“I think just how difficult it was. Everybody knows how great Michael was. He went 6-0 in the Finals, and you look back and you probably just assume he was so dominant that it was easy. It was not easy. It wasn’t easy for him or for anybody. He made the difficult look easy because of his dominance, but he had to dig so deep year after year, and it took so much out of him.

“But it was just an incredible thing to be a part of and just amazing to look back and think, ‘Man, I was part of that team.’ And to live that experience was pretty incredible.”

[jwplayer sij5WODw-q2aasYxh]

[vertical-gallery id=910266]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393248]

Locked On Spartans Podcast: Kaidon Salter, Tom Izzo’s transfer comments, MSU sports documentaries

Plus, what MSU sports events and teams would make for the best documentaries?

Wil and Matt talk about why they think Kaidon Salter is a recruit worth following. Then they diverge a bit on Tom Izzo’s latest comments about transfers and then dig into what MSU teams and events they would want to see a documentary on.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=516986277]

The 7 best quotes from the first two episodes of ‘The Last Dance’

So good.

The Last Dance is already gave us some amazing moments in its first two episodes — the letter Michael Jordan sent to his mother, the wild story about rookie MJ walking in on the debauchery that the 1984 Chicago Bulls were a part of and more.

And then, there are the quotes we’ll take with us for a while. There are so many good ones from those eps that we have to review and — probably — turn into memes. So far, they’re mostly Jordan-related, and that should come as no surprise since the documentary is mostly about him.

Here they are, in all their glory (and, WARNING: some of these have some NSFW language in them):

1. The “headache” response

In his second season, Jordan suffered a foot injury that probably should have ended his year. But Jordan pushed hard to come back even though the Bulls didn’t have the best shot at a title, leading to an exchange with owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who asked him if coming back was worth the 10 percent risk that the injury could be career-threatening:

2. “Can I get a hug too?”

Oh, Scott Burrell. Don’t you know who you’re talking to?

3. “I’m not gonna (expletive) my summer up”

That’s why Scottie Pippen decided not to get surgery until closer to the 1997-98 season. And what a quote that was!

4. “That was God disguised as Michael Jordan”

Larry Bird repeated what he said to reporters in 1986 when Jordan dropped 63 points in a playoff loss to Bird’s Boston Celtics.

5. “Would you mind signing this, please?”

I’m cheating a bit — it’s not the quote, but the reaction that got me before Jordan appeared on a French television show.

6. “He’s a rookie here”

Man, Charles Oakley. I get the rookie treatment, but a slap to the face?

7. “I was better than he was … for about two weeks”

That’s Hall of Famer James Worthy.

[vertical-gallery id=905538]

[jwplayer HdVgCstE-q2aasYxh]

 

In honor of The Last Dance: Michigan State sports documentaries I’d love to see

These stories are ripe with interest for Michigan State football and basketball documentaries.

On Sunday night ESPN debuted the first two parts of The Last Dance, a ten-part documentary series on the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls. It was a great two hours of television, with a ton of in-depth stories building the foundation of the story of what was the end of one of sports’ greatest dynasties.

That got me to thinking: What Michigan State sports documentaries would I want to see?

What may be the obvious answers for a MSU fan, aren’t the ones I thought of first. For example, I don’t particularly want to see a Flintstones documentary, or a documentary on the 2013 football team. There’s certainly interesting things there, but those stories have been pretty well documented. The best documentaries are revealing in nature and often have to do with some sort of scandal or trouble. Add in that conflict to something like a giant corporation or megs sports franchise and “viola” you’ve got a pretty interesting documentary. So the Flintstones are out. MSU football 2013-2015 is out. Magic Johnson’s career is mostly out, but there could be something interesting there digging into the status of college sports at the time and how the 1979 NCAA Tournament shifted basketball both on the court and off. But Magic vs. Bird is a pretty well-mined pit.

What follows is a list of MSU-related sports documentaries that I would absolutely love to see. They aren’t in any particular order, really, with the exception of the first one. You’ll see why.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Thomas Davis compares former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman to Jerry Krause

Some Panthers players who were watching saw parallels between Krause and a certain former Carolina general manager.

After a miserable, morbid month of news, sports fans finally got a reprieve last night when ESPN released the first two episodes of their highly-anticipated documentary on the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls called “The Last Dance.” The film follows how the greatest dynasty in NBA history collapsed and based on the early social media reviews it’s a hit.

The clear hero of the tale is Michael Jordan, who at his peak was the greatest athlete on the planet. Reliving Jordan’s exploits – including a 63-point performance in the playoffs against a historic Boston Celtics team – offered a tremendous release for fans who haven’t gotten to see any live games in weeks.

Like any great story, there’s also a compelling villain. In this case it’s former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, whose ego was the catalyst in the destruction of the dynasty. Krause seems to have been truly despised by his players, especially the extremly underpaid Scottie Pippen, who eventually took to insulting Krause in front of the entire team.

Some Panthers players who were watching saw parallels between Krause and a certain former Carolina general manager.

Free safety Tre Boston seemd to hint at the connection in this tweet, blaming Krause for being determined to get rid of Phil Jackson before the season started and taking credit for the team’s success.

Former linebacker Thomas Davis went one futher. Near the end of the show he straight up tweeted Jerry Krause = Dave Gettleman.

While Gettleman did make some unpopular decisions and handled the exits of several beloved players poorly, it might be a bit harsh to compare him with Krause.

There are undeniable similarities, though. Both played a role in assembling a very talented group of players and had a reputation for driving a hard bargain – perhaps too hard. Whereas Krause alienated Pippen and Jackson, Gettleman drove Jordan Gross into retirement and eventually also pushed out Steve Smith and Josh Norman.

Gettleman didn’t intentionally blow up the best team in his sport that had just won three straight titles, though. Also, as it turned out, not paying Norman $15 million a year was the right move.

No matter what you may think of Krause the man isn’t around anymore to defend himself, as Julius Peppers pointed out this morning.

Fair point.

In any case, the moral of the story is that when you have a good thing going, you don’t destroy it all to satisfy your ego. We can’t wait for the next couple of episodes.

[lawrence-related id=621184]

[vertical-gallery id=621170]

Dennis Rodman’s Las Vegas trip story revealed in ‘Last Dance’ episode 3 clip

It looks so good.

The Last Dance — the Michael Jordan and 1997-98 Chicago Bulls documentary — is already living up to the hype after its first two episodes premiered on Sunday.

And there are eight more installments to go.

Thanks to Good Morning America, we got a peek at the third episode, in which the story of a Dennis Rodman trip to Las Vegas is fully revealed.

Apparently, when Scottie Pippen returned from his surgery in 1998, Rodman asked for a Vegas vacation to blow off some steam. Head coach Phil Jackson asked if Rodman could make it just 48 hours, and Jordan was concerned about the whole idea:

If you’re wondering about the end of that story? Here’s what I’ll do for you: if you want to know about it and don’t mind having Sunday’s episode No. 3 spoiled for you, I’ll make it a SPOILER ALERT for those of you who do. The rest of the tale is below this photo of Rodman.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Ready? Here’s more on it from Yahoo Sports:

“He did not come back on time,” Jordan said. “We had to go get his ass out of bed, and I’m not going to say what’s in his bed, where he was, blah, blah, blah.”

“There’s a knock on the door and it’s Michael Jordan,” Rodman’s ex-wife, Carmen Electra, said. “I hid. I didn’t want him to see me like that so I’m hiding behind the couch with covers on me.”

“Dennis came back and joined the team and that’s the way it went that year,” Phil Jackson said.

Yowza. What a story.

[vertical-gallery id=905538]

[jwplayer HdVgCstE-q2aasYxh]

Larsa Pippen reminds everyone Scottie Pippen ended up making plenty of money

The Hall of Famer ended up just fine.

The second installment of The Last Dance — the 10-part ESPN documentary focused on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan — focused on Jordan’s sidekick, Scottie Pippen, and the positively awful contract the star signed that paid him $18 million over five years.

Yes, Pippen — one of the greatest players ever to suit up — was woefully underpaid, as the documentary pointed out. But as Pippen’s ex-wife Larsa pointed out on Twitter in response to all the negativity surrounding the Hall of Famer, the forward ended up making over $100 million in his career.

So, sure: he could have made more. But he’s doing just fine:

Indeed, per Basketball Reference, Pippen made over $109 million, with (spoiler alert, I guess?) him signing a five-year contract worth $67.2 million in a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets.

[vertical-gallery id=905538]

[jwplayer HdVgCstE-q2aasYxh]

A prescient State Farm ad with Kenny Mayne had everyone fooled during ‘The Last Dance’

This stopped everyone in their tracks.

Everyone’s buzzing about the premiere of The Last Dance, the ESPN documentary focusing on Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, and with good reason. We got so many good moments, from a wild story from 1984 to “former Chicago resident” Barack Obama.

But there was also a bizarre commercial that had viewers tweeting like crazy: a State Farm spot that took an old school SportsCenter clip with a seemingly “Deepfake” version of Kenny Mayne (I’m guessing the real Mayne dubbed some new audio) “predicting” the future, that ESPN will eventually make The Last Dance in 2020.

Check this out. It’s a really good ad:

Here’s some of the reaction:

[vertical-gallery id=903936]

[jwplayer HdVgCstE-q2aasYxh]