Partying, Drug Use & MAJOR NBA Scandal Revealed In Michael Jordan’s Docuseries ‘The Last Dance’
GettyImages Michael Jordan is often regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He was a major part of the Chicago Bulls team that won six championships in eight years. An NBA Entertainment camera crew followed the team during their 1997 season and detailed the life of Jordan. It also features interviews from some of Jordan’s teammates. The series called The Last Dance was set to air in June during the NBA Finals, but with the NBA season put on hold indefinitely, fans got what they wanted with an early release on Netflix.
The 1997 NBA Season Was Filled With Drama
The series depicts how the media began swirling rumors that the Bulls were going to fire their coach Phil Jackson. He led the team to six NBA championships. There was some major tension between Jackson and the general manager of the team, Jerry Krause. The two were not very kind to one another, with Krause telling Jackson “you’re f*cking gone” after the 1997-98 season was over. After leading the Bulls to their final title in the Jordan era in 1998, Jackson took a year off and then went on to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. The first episode definitely did not paint Krause in a positive light. He also tried to get rid of star player Scottie Pippen. Fans saw another side of Krause in these episodes.
Pippen and Jordan were good friends. But it seemed like Pippen was caught in a feud with the front office. He even took this feud public and said he was not happy with his salary. Fans and the media alike thought that he would be traded even though he was an integral part of the Bulls winning championship team. Jordan felt that Pippen may have been undervalued, but his attitude at the time put management off. Pippen injured his toe and decided to put off surgery for the 1997-98 season. Jordan was left to carry the team before Pippen made his return. “I never won [championships] without Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said. “I would never be able to find another partner like Scottie Pippen.” But even he agreed that Pippen was wrong for handling certain issues with management publicly.
There Was A Lot Of Partying And Drug Use Going On
Jordan was only 21 years old when he got drafted into the NBA. He was not much of a partier, but his teammates definitely were. He spoke about a preseason event where his teammates were doing lines of cocaine. “You got your lines [of cocaine] over here, you got your weed smokers over here, you got your women over here,” he said, detailing the event. He said that he immediately left because he did not want to get in trouble nor did he want to take part in doing drugs. His idea of fun was playing cards and watching movies. “I wasn’t going to the clubs, I don’t smoke, I don’t do [cocaine] lines, I didn’t drink at the time,” Jordan said. “I was looking to just get some rest, get up and go play.”
It seemed like this part of the episode was specifically geared towards younger athletes. Jordan wants to send a message to keep people on the right track and not let the money or the fame get to their heads. It was clear that Jordan made playing basketball his top priority and didn’t get sucked into partying or drugs. That’s not to say he didn’t have fun while playing, he just maintained his ethics throughout his career.
Fans Loved This Glimpse Into The Bulls Iconic Season
It seems like people are eager for the next few episodes of the series to come out. But they will have to wait until next Sunday. They enjoyed seeing Jordan in his prime and praised his athletic prowess.
One Twitter user wrote “I don’t normally like basketball but The Last Dance on Netflix is an absolute must-watch for any sports fan. Michael Jordan is obviously one of the greatest athletes, and his bulls are one of the greatest teams in sporting history.”
Jordan was praised for valuing his teammates and coaches and staying loyal to them.
One Twitter user wrote “My favorite part of #thelastdance is that the kids get to see what we mean by this guy was head and shoulders the greatest.”
Other’s felt nostalgic looking back on Jordan’s career. He was and still is a role model to many.
The next two episodes will talk about the rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons. Jordan was on a mission to make sure he took the rival team down any chance he got. He even started weight lifting to improve his strength.
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Did you watch the first two episodes of the series? What did you think? Catch new episodes out every Sunday on Netflix.
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