His Airness – Michael Jordan and “The Last Dance”

Published by PolisPandit on April 19, 2020April 19, 2020

Much has been made about “The Last Dance”, the Michael Jordan documentary that showcases the last season of “His Airness.” The 10-part series airs tonight at 9PM EST on ESPN. Amidst the coronavirus doldrums we’re all experiencing with no live sports or in-person interactions, I could not be more excited for a sports documentary centered on one of my favorite athletes of all time.

With that said, I do not expect The Last Dance to celebrate or glorify His Airness. Like his padawan, the Black Mamba, Jordan was ruthlessly intense. Almost to a fault. The all access nature of the coverage from his final season with the Bulls (1997-1998) will likely reveal Michael Jordan the human, flawed and in the raw. A workaholic who flung obscenities at teammates and berated them in practice. An athlete blessed by the gods with ability like none other and a tenacity and work ethic to match. He will not be portrayed solely in the perfect form of the jumpman that so many of us who watched him nostalgically remember. The Last Dance will, however, remind the generations who missed watching His Airness soar that nobody – whether before him or after – has ever done it better.

Intensity Like None Other

If you were fortunate enough to play on one of Jordan’s Bulls teams in the ’90s, you had to meet his terms. You had to be willing to sacrifice it all. Jordan was Batman, Pippen was Robin, and everyone who came along for the journey was expected to play their part. Perfectly.

Jordan was notorious for ragging mercilessly on his teammates who missed his pre-practice early morning workouts. He would remind them about their absence throughout practice. And his workouts were ahead of their time. Instead of focusing on jumping higher or building strength, they focused more on body health and injury mitigation. At the time, most athletes had their priorities reversed.

Most other athletes also could not hold a candle to Jordan’s competitive drive. Training regiment aside, MJ’s willingness to win was second to none. This ferocious competitive streak extended to all facets of his life, whether it’s playing cards or $100 per shot shooting games after practice. He even reportedly punched former teammate Steve Kerr (current Golden State Warriors coach) in the face during one practice. Kobe Bryant was not even immune from Jordan’s competitive streak when he was told by His Airness that Jordan in his prime (1991) would beat Kobe in his prime any day of the week. One of my favorite clips of Jordan is him crushing young phenom O.J. Mayo in a game of pick-up . . . at age 43.

Greatness Like None Other

After Jordan schooled O.J., he reminded him, “You may be the best high school player, but I am the greatest ever. Don’t ever disrespect greatness.” Jordan was and still is right. Others have come along, notably Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, but nobody has ever matched MJ’s greatness. For you quantitative types, compare his regular season and playoff stats and metrics with anyone, and try to argue otherwise.

The question of Jordan’s comparative greatness is probably what I am excited about most with this upcoming documentary. There are generations of fans, particularly those born in the late ’90s and after, who never saw him play live. As someone born in the late ’80s, I only caught the tail-end of his career, and arguably missed the peak of his prowess during his first three-peat (1991-1993). But after his famous comeback wearing the “45”, three more championships, iconic shoes that everyone had or dreamed of owning, and from movies like Space Jam, he etched himself forever in the minds of millions. I witnessed it in real-time. So many people today who love LeBron or Durant or Steph or Kawhi, did not. After The Last Dance ends, I hope it will be readily apparent to everyone – without question – that Jordan was the greatest ever.

My friends and I used to watch Jordan highlight reels before going to play pick-up basketball in college, and that was some five years after he had already left the league for good. In preparation for The Last Dance, I dug deep into old Jordan footage, starting with the 1991 NBA Finals when Jordan’s Bulls faced off against Magic’s Lakers. These are all on Youtube, by the way. I wanted a better understanding of the Jordan that predated me. The young gunner who aimed at dethroning Magic and carrying the NBA torch. It has been fascinating to watch because at the time so many people doubted MJ. They thought he was all stats, not wins. They pondered whether his Bulls would ever be as great as the Celtics or Lakers teams of the 1980s.

Did he ever prove them wrong. He reminded all of those doubters too during his infamous Hall of Fame induction speech. If you ever want a true glimpse into the soul of this ultra-competitive legend, there are few better mediums that illustrate it. Now with the introduction of The Last Dance into the sports documentary canon, hopefully we will have an even greater and lucid view into Michael Jordan the man. The greatest basketball player ever, along with the intensity, tenacity, and competitive spirit that made him that way.