‘The Last Dance’ documentary was an immensely successful production that served as a refuge for sports fans earlier this year when all the leagues postponed their seasons. It earned excellent ratings and introduced an entire generation to the legend of Michael Jordan.
That said – not everybody was happy about how it turned out. This week, former Chicago Bulls superstar Scottie Pippen expressed frustration with ‘The Last Dance,’ noting that he did not find it to be particularly “accurate.”
“I don’t think it was that accurate in terms of really defining what was accomplished in one of the greatest eras of basketball, but also by two of the greatest players – and one could even put that aside and say the greatest team of all time,” he told Andrew Anthony of The Guardian.
“I didn’t think those things stood out in the documentary. I thought it was more about Michael trying to uplift himself and to be glorified [the series was co-produced by Jordan’s Jump 23 company]. I think it also backfired to some degree in that people got a chance to see what kind of personality Michael had.”
When pressed on whether he had expressed his displeasure with the documentary to Jordan, Pippen confirmed that he had.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“I told him I wasn’t too pleased with it. He accepted it. He said, ‘hey, you’re right.’ That was pretty much it.”
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— Game 7 (@game7__) December 5, 2020
That said, Pippen still thinks back fondly on his relationship with Jordan.
“That relationship, we established that we felt like that in the late 80s, playing against the Pistons, just starting to grow and mature and have each other’s backs,” he said.
“We grew up together and we defended each other. That respect we had on the court, that competitiveness we took through to the top – it was special.
Yikes Scottie. https://t.co/OfGjnOyWpP
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 3, 2020
“That was the respect we had for each other, because we had to be on the court to do what we did. We had to be dominant.”
Pippen and Jordan’s relationship has always been a fascinating one. The two never seemed particularly close, but a mutual respect definitely existed.
The fact that Pippen felt comfortable enough to go to Jordan and express his displeasure with ‘The Last Dance’ speaks volumes about their rapport, on multiple levels.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
