ON AIRNESS
ESPN’s much-hyped Michael Jordan documentary "The Last Dance" took a quarter of a century in the making after a simple idea led to an amazingly intimate insight into a remarkable era in basketball.
The story, which is based around Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls — airs the first two episodes on ESPN at 9pm ET tonight — originated in an attempt to capture the team in all its glory.
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Back in 1997 there were no such thing as multi-part documentaries on sports on television.
But NBA producer Andy Thompson — brother of legendary player Mychal Thompson — had an idea to film the inside story of Chicago Bulls’ championship season.
And Adam Silver, now the NBA commissioner but then the person in charge of NBA Entertainment, liked his plan.
Silver told Associated Press: "It’s almost hard to understate how famous Michael was and how popular this Bulls team was.
"And so, Andy’s view was, ‘We need to find a way to capture this team in its glory.'"
Thompson recalled: “No one in the NBA had ever done this.
"And you’re not just doing this with a run of the mill NBA team.
"You’re doing this with the greatest player in the history of the game in Michael Jordan, who was very protective of his image and his privacy."
But Thompson befriended Jordan a bit while working at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
And he had worked closely with Ahmad Rashad, a Jordan confidant, through "NBA Inside Stuff", a show Rashad hosted.
You’re doing this with the greatest player in the history of the game in Michael Jordan, who was very protective of his image and his privacy
NBA producer Andy Thompson
Yet best of all Thompson knew Jordan once idolized his brother, Mychal.
So much so that Jordan once scribbled his name on a notebook as “Mychal Jordan” until his mother saw it and wasn’t pleased.
Thompson said: "Because of his respect and admiration for my brother, obviously, Michael and I connected."
Silver approached Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf first, then had to convince then-coach Phil Jackson.
He also agreed, albeit with some conditions that if he didn’t want the crew around at certain times they would give him space.
And in the end, Jordan had to sign off as well.
Silver also made the financial aspect work, running that part past then-Commissioner David Stern.
The project had plenty of other people involved and was costly.
HIGH QUALITY FILM USED
High-definition video used today didn’t exist at that time, but Thompson had already made the decision to chronicle the season on very costly, high-quality film.
Silver said: “I’ll take David’s quote and apply it to Andy. He had an unlimited budget, then he exceeded it."
And so Thompson’s crew shot hundreds of hours of film.
They knew every trick — if cigar smoke was in the air, it meant Jordan was nearby.
The crew captured him one day in the locker room, cigar in his mouth, baseball bat in his hand.
'WE KNEW WHEN TO SHUT UP AND BE A FLY-ON-THE-WALL'
Another interview that Thompson won’t forget is one with guard Steve Kerr, who escaped to the shower area and was seated alone before what became the final game of the season.
Having a brother in the NBA had familiarized Thompson with locker-room culture, when to push, when to back off.
"When to shut up, when to be a fly on the wall," Thompson said.
"That gave me a huge advantage in dealing with players. I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t intimidated. I could speak their language, so I could develop relationships quicker because of that.
"And that’s what helped me navigate the course of the season because access didn’t just happen overnight.
"There was a feeling out process for us and the team and the team for us."
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The footage, until it was unearthed for this project, had been locked in a vault at NBA Entertainment.
Silver said many people — Spike Lee, Danny DeVito and more — expressed interest in putting together the documentary over the years and that it became a running joke between he and Jordan if it would ever be seen.
Nearly a quarter-century later, the big moment has finally arrived.
"We made it happen, but I would only say in all seriousness, this would not have happened if we had a specific project budget,” Silver said.
"We would have had a zero under revenue and a large number under expense. I think it was more a gut feeling we had that it was our obligation to do this and we would spend what was necessary to capture what we knew was one of the greatest athletes and one of the greatest teams of all time."
This show focuses on Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' rise to success.
It meets the squad ahead of the NBA 1997-98 season, having won five championships in the previous seven years.
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