Stories Left Out of ‘The Last Dance’

 

Michael Jordan joining the Golden State Warriors?

In 1995, a still retired Michael Jordan sparked comeback rumors with a team other than the Bulls. The speculation ended up being false. MJ visited his friend Ron Higgins at a Warriors practice, where Tim Hardaway and Latrell Sprewell talked trash to him and the six-time NBA champion decided to borrow Chris Mullin’s gear and play against them.

That’s all it ended up being but at the time many thought that Jordan was going to return to the league with the Warriors.

 

Luc Longley

Luc Longley, the starting center for the Bulls, who won the NBA Championship from 1996 to 1998, wasn’t interviewed on the ‘The Last Dance’ for budgetary reasons. This is a damn shame because he played a key role in the three championships; not to mention that he was the first Australian to play in the NBA.

Longley blazed a trail for players from the land down under like Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Aron Baynes, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Thon Maker and Ben Simmons, to name a few. Luc Longley deserved some recognition in ‘The Last Dance.’

 

Scottie Pippen’s Trash Talk to Karl Malone

‘The Last Dance’ pointed out things that Scottie Pippen did wrong while leaving out some of the things that he did right. For example, one of his best moments and possibly the best psych-out in NBA history. It took place in Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals when Karl Malone was at the free-throw line with a chance to give the Jazz the lead.

Pippen whispered in Karl Malone’s ear that: “the Mailman doesn’t deliver on a Sunday” and the legendary forward then missed his two free-throws. The Bulls eventually won the game 84-82 with a Michael Jordan buzzer-beater on the next play.

 

Ron Harper

‘The Last Dance’ did give some screen time to Ron Harper, but it was done to go over his days with the Cavaliers and there was no mention about how important he was to the Bulls from 1994 to 1999. Harper was the team’s starting point guard and a solid contributor at both ends of the court. Harper is also an admirable person because he was able to overcome a severe stutter. Nowadays he donates his time to the National Stuttering Association.

Harper tweeted his thoughts on the documentary: “I would like to say thanks for being a part of the Last Dance. It’s never about me I just wanted to win and understood winning is the most important part about sports and life. Sharing is caring and as a world we can help others and move the world forward. Let’s help the world.”