Last night’s premiere of The Last Dance was easily the most compelling two hours of sports television I’ve seen in decades. Granted, my taste might’ve been a little off. After all, it was the first new sports content in five weeks of pandemic lockdown.
Still, The Last Dance didn’t just satisfy; it fed the soul — like serving filet mignon to a starving man.
The 10-part documentary series takes an in-depth look at the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty through the lens of the final championship season in 1997-98. The Bulls allowed an NBA Entertainment crew to follow the team around for that entire season, and some of that never-before-seen footage will be featured in the documentary.
In addition, ESPN spoke to more than 100 people close to the team and personalities who experienced the run, exploring all angles of the Jordan phenomenon.
ESPN is airing two episodes every Sunday for five weeks. And here’s my takeaway from Episodes 1 and 2:
Tom Brady spent his entire career with the New England Patriots making sure everyone got paid. He restructured his contracts repeatedly, always taking less than market value.
Michael Jordan, by contrast, spent his career with the Chicago Bulls making sure only he got paid. He demanded top dollar year after year; so much so that, in his final season, he earned $33.1 million… while no teammate made more than $5 million.
Mind you, this was true even though Michael was raking in far more each year from Nike and other endorsements than from his Bulls salary.
So.. WTF, Mike?
But here’s the real kick in the gut:
Michael admits — more than once — that he couldn’t have won any of his six championships without Scottie Pippen. Of course, anyone who knows anything about the NBA already knew that.
But what kind of Batman, worth his salt, lets his Robin be treated so poorly — for so many years — that he ends up like this? Because in this documentary, we see Pippen:
- playing petty mind games with the Bulls’ front office just to get something closer to the $25 million he deserved (instead of the niggardly $2.75 million they were paying him);
- issuing ultimatums no one took seriously;
- sitting at the back of the team bus, hurling obscenities at the general manager up front;
- showing signs of resentment, if not clinical depression;
- envying the contracts that far lesser teammates managed to negotiate; and
- trying desperately to prove he was as indispensable as Michael — but to no avail.
No doubt, Pippen had every right to be pissed. And while the Brady paradigm still looms large, the more compelling juxtaposition might actually be between Michael’s relentless greed and Pippen’s earnest (if misguided) decision to lock in long-term security early in his career.
Because that rookie contract left him making chump change, just as everyone else was cashing in. Hell, even Bulls benchwarmers were making more than Pippen. But this ESPN tweet says it all:
Scottie Pippen was the 122nd-highest-paid player in the NBA in ’97-98, but was easily one of the best players in the league.
— ESPN (@espn) April 20, 2020
The point is, Michael knew the deal. And he should’ve found it just as unacceptable as Pippen found it unfair. After all, this is the same Michael who had the balls to tell the Bulls:
If you fire coach Phil Jackson, I’m not playing for any other coach.
The owner caved, paving the way for the Bulls’ iconic sixth-championship season now playing out in The Last Dance.
Michael could’ve done the same for Pippen. Especially at the height of their run (after their fourth championship), when he was the most popular person on the planet and held unprecedented bargaining power.
And the owner would’ve caved again. Because, back then, he’d have sooner sold the team than risk losing both Michael and Scottie. So just imagine if Michael had issued this ultimatum:
If you don’t renegotiate Scottie’s contract to pay him closer to what my indispensable sidekick is worth, I’m not playing.
Surely you’ve wondered why this never happened, no?
That said, there’s still no explaining why Pippen allowed the Bulls to keep adding insult to the injury they inflicted for years. Consider this painfully Pippenesque exchange, as reported by Yahoo Sports on April 15, during his appearance on the Thuzio Live and Unfiltered podcast:
‘You’re an ambassador for the Bulls, is that right?’ host Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune asked Pippen while introducing him.
‘I was,’ Pippen replied. ‘I got fired this year. I didn’t really want it to be out in the public, but I’m no longer employed by the Bulls.’
Yes siree, Bob! That’s passive-aggressive Scottie — still taking it like a champ… or a chump. Hell, you abuse a dog long enough, even it’ll have the sense to eventually run away. But not Scottie.
Michael is clearly the NBA’s GOAT. But sadly, Pippen is arguably its greatest goat of all time.
Again, this made for great television. But truth be told, I’ve already seen enough to know this series will only reinforce (or, given the flak I’ve taken, vindicate) what iPINIONS has published about Michael over the years. Just check out:
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“Coach Phil Jackson on Michael vs. Kobe” (May 30, 2013)
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“Michael Jordan on Racist Tirade by Owner of NBA’s LA Clippers” (April 28, 2014)
Related commentaries:
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Michael Jordan…
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