Curiosities About ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’

When Did MJ Agree to the Documentary?

Michael Jordan reportedly agreed to ‘The Last Dance’ in 2016 on the day that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA Championship. Seeing them celebrate might have motivated MJ to end the conversation about who’s the greatest basketball player of all-time once and for all.

Phil Jackson Was Redeemed!

Phil Jackson, along with Scottie Pippen, are in second place behind Michael Jordan when measuring who came off better in this documentary. Jackson needed this after his disastrous stint as President of the New York Knicks. Phil Jackson appears in key moments of ‘The Last Dance’ and his interviews reflected how much of a winner he is.

Brian Williams Missing

Looking at images from the 1996-97 Championship you can see Brian Williams in the distance. Williams was with the Bulls for just a few months but he played a big role in the playoffs and then signed a seven- year, $45 million contract with the Detroit Pistons. He would change his name to Bison Dele in 1998 and retire after the 1998-99 season, when he was just 30 years old. A one-time NBA champion, he is believed to have been murdered at sea by his older brother Miles Dabord on July 7, 2002.

Phil Jackson’s Bonus in 1998

The Chicago Bulls went 62-20 in the 1997-98 regular season, tied with the Utah Jazz for the best record in the NBA. Phil Jackson had a clause in his contract saying that he would get $50,000 if the Bulls had the best record in the league.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf said that the team didn’t achieve this that season because they were tied with the Utah Jazz, who won the tiebreaker with them and had home court advantage in the NBA Finals. In the end they reached an agreement and the Chicago Bulls paid $25,000 to Jackson, half of the bonus. Jackson’s salary that year was $6,000,000 dollars so it may not seem like much but it was a win against Bulls management.