22 years after a camera crew was granted unprecedented access to one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history, ESPN will debut a 10-part documentary series on the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls called “The Last Dance.”
Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver played a key role in laying the groundwork for what is sure to be an epic series, as explained in a must-read story over at ESPN. Silver, who led NBA Entertainment during Jordan’s second three-peat, convinced Jordan and coach Phil Jackson to allow cameras to follow them throughout the season. To get Jordan to agree, however, Silver gave the five-time NBA champion full control over the footage, meaning that a move or documentary would never be made and the footage would never be released without Jordan’s consent.
Nearly two decades later, Jordan finally agreed to unseal the footage – and the timing of his decision is very interesting, particularly for the legions of fans who believe LeBron James is the true GOAT.
After many people had tried and failed to convince Jordan to allow a project to move forward, eventual producer of “The Last Dance,” Mike Tollin, landed a meeting with Jordan to pitch him on an extensive multi-part documentary. That meeting just so happened to occur on the very day LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers were celebrating their 3-1 comeback over the Warriors in the streets of Cleveland with a championship parade.
Via ESPN:
“The universe has such a funny sense of humor. Because when I woke up, I put on ESPN while I’m getting dressed, and there’s LeBron [James] and the Cavaliers parading through the streets of Cleveland with the trophy that they’d just won.”
Tollin’s pitch worked, and the wheels were in motion on “The Last Dance.” On the very day LeBron James was celebrating what many have called the greatest NBA Finals performance in history, Michael Jordan finally said yes to a series that will likely convince a large swath of new generation that he’s the greatest player to ever live. That may just be a coincidence, but it also may not be.
[vertical-gallery id=910266]
[jwplayer 4JFAibOz-q2aasYxh]