Chicago Bulls: “The Last Dance” and Jordan silencing critics

The 1990s Chicago Bulls are once again atop the sports world as ESPN’s “The Last Dance” is a huge hit. Still, not everyone is a fan of the series. One of Sunday’s episodes turned a critique into a strength.

It’s inevitable that once something becomes massively popular and well-known, someone will come out of the woodwork to criticize. It happened to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1993 when Jordan abruptly retired.

After the shocking murder of Jordan’s father James that summer, rumors started to pop up that it was a coordinated hit in response to the gambling debts Michael owed.

A consipracy theory later surfaced that NBA commissioner David Stern enacted a secret suspension for the superstar after the gambling scandal and forced his retirement. As NBA communications advisor Brian McIntyre put it in episode seven, “Total bull****”.

Jordan’s overwhelming popularity and global appeal made him an easy target. He also didn’t do himself any favors by cutting a massive check to James “Slim” Bouler to repay gambling debts. Rumors seem more credible when you were a witness in a federal money-laundering trial.

While Jordan made it through that scandal, his squeaky clean reputation took a hit. Even one of the most beloved men in the country couldn’t shake off all the haters, and neither can “The Last Dance” itself.

One of the greatest documentary filmmakers of all time declared his disdain for ESPN’s smash hit. Ken Burns knows a thing or two about making episodic documentaries, and clearly he doesn’t think this one respect the “spirit of the game” or something, I don’t know. (Via Variety):

"I find it the opposite direction of where we need to be going. If you [Jordan] are there influencing the very fact of it getting made, it means that certain aspects that you don’t necessarily want in aren’t going to be in, period. And that’s not the way you do good journalism, and it’s certainly not the way you do good history, [which is] my business."

I’m a fan of Burns and his work, but he doesn’t wear jealously well. I understand his apprehension about having Jordan’s production company involved in “The Last Dance”. However, giving Jordan control and editorial power was the only way this footage would see the light of day.

In addition, this isn’t like a “Civil War” style historical saga that Burns mastered. Is this even truly sports journalism? It’s unseen footage from over 20 years ago spliced with archival clips and interviews. It certainly has a story to tell, but accuracy is an odd hill to die on here.

The question for Burns and anyone else who has an issue with Jordan’s involvement is: Would you rather this footage just remain unreleased? I’d like to hear a good argument in favor of that take because I don’t think it exists.

The only other criticism I’ve seen leveled against “The Last Dance” by is the fact that the film jumps around in time and doesn’t attempt to be chronological. I could see how that bothers some, but I think it worked perfectly in Sunday’s episode seven.

The episode masterfully jumped back and forth between Jordan’s first retirement in 1993 and his final season with the Bulls in 1998. It showed how mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted he was leading into both retirements.

It painted a clearer picture of why a guy who still had so much left to give the game had to walk away, twice. Bulls fans and NBA fans at large are obviously aware of how important it is that this footage wasn’t lost to time.

If getting Jordan involved and giving him final cut is what it took, so be it. This story is too important not to be told with this depth of coverage. With the final two episodes of the series airing this Sunday, Michael Jordan is again letting the world know that he will always dominate.