If you’ve seen The Last Dance, Michael Jordan used tough love to harden his team for the NBA. With this amazing basketball talent at their nucleus, the Bulls won back-to-back-to-back NBA Championship not once, but twice.
This is almost impossible, dare I say inhumane, right?
Not quite.
Now is the time for confessions, I am not an avid basketball follower. Aside from the fact it seemingly turns your eyes yellow, it is a sport for giants, and the best giants play in the NBA.
Well, like 97 per cent of the world’s population, I am not over six foot. Nor do I live in America.
Might be more inclined to focus more on basketball if the NBA had a six-foot (183cm) height limit division. There you go entrepreneurs, want to make some money? Establish an NBA six-foot division, lower the basket ring so everyone can dunk, and get ready for athleticism that a myriad possess, but only a few giants like Jordan can display.
Back to The Last Dance, after 1998, what happened to the ensemble?
Well here it goes.
Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson was effectively sacked by Jerry Krause (RIP), setting in motion the events of the docuseries.
If you think six championships with the Bulls was incredible, Jackson was only getting started.
Phil did it again, this time with the LA Lakers, another back-to-back-to-back NBA Championships trifecta (2000-2002). Jordan, it turns out, was human and replaceable after all.
Phil’s Lakers were another basketball dynasty. Instead of Jordan and Pippen, there was Kobe Bryant (RIP) and Shaquille O’Neal.
Jackson’s LA also made the NBA finals on no less than seven occasions, winning back-to-back titles also in 2009-2010. As a coach, Phil completed his career coaching teams to 11 titles (six with the Bulls, five with the Lakers).
We are starting to understand why Jordan did not want to continue at the Bulls without Phil Jackson as head coach.
Vale Kobe Bryant. (Tolga Adanali/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Steve Kerr
Remember the short fella Jordan punched in the face? That was Steve Kerr.
Kerr is not that short by the way, standing at 6 foot 2 (191cm) compared to Jordan’s 6 foot 5 (198cm). In boxing they would both be heavyweights. One icon hitting another and both grew together as a result.
Outside of the NBA bubble, few would recognise Kerr as a living legend, but has done what neither Jordan nor Jackson did. As coach of the Golden State Warriors, Kerr has competed in five consecutive NBA finals, and this current run ain’t over yet. The Warriors have so far claimed three titles and their rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers is legendary.
Where Jordan’s era was characterised by the slam dunk, the modern legend is Stephen Curry, three-point sharpshooter extraordinaire.
Interestingly, it is not Curry, but his coach who holds the highest percentage (45.4) for NBA players who have hit at least 250 three-pointers.
As a player, Kerr went on to to claim another two NBA titles, with the San Antonio Spurs. Kerr not having his own episode felt like a bit of a sucker punch.
Scottie Pippen
The soprano would never play in the NBA Championships again. He would however, finally hit pay dirt with a five-year, $67 million deal with Houston-Portland, before a final $10 million, two-year contract back with the Bulls.
(Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Michael Jordan
Enough is never enough for some.
“I felt like we could’ve won seven. I really believe that. We may not have, but man, just to not be able to try, that’s something that I just can’t accept for whatever reason. I just can’t accept it,” Jordan said in the series.
And that is why he is a living legend.
Dennis Rodman
Rodman still alive, kicking and living life. Not all about sport. What a legend!
Mick Jeffrey
Roar Rookie
Ah that Game 7 where Portland lead by the length of the straight, couldn't hit a bucket in the 4th quarter despite Steve Smith, Bonzi Wells, Detlef Schrempf and Rasheed Wallace having good looks, then when they looked like settling Arvydas Sabonis (who was the only bloke they had who could physically match Shaq) fouled out and that was pretty much that.
Marky Mark
Roar Rookie
Pip almost got it done for the Blazers against the Lakers but blew that huge lead in game 7 so badly. Closest he got to returning to the big dance
Wal
Roar Guru
Heaps of factors come into it, but this does speak volumes of Jackson's ability if the coach right after Auerbach coached the same team to 2 titles, what happened to the Bulls and Lakers after Jackson left?
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
He was an unusual dude. I read some crap today telling me how much money basketballers have and there are plenty with lots but amongst the Bulls - Pippen $75m, Kerr $50m and Rodman $0.5M. He's obviously still enjoying himself. Not sure why you said Kerr was deserving of an episode himself but didn't get it Jaeger. He did get a lot of an episode that was some of the best in the series about his dad. Really interesting stuff
Jaeger
Roar Rookie
Watch "The Interview Kim Jong Un "Katy Perry Firework"" on YouTube https://youtu.be/Wid7S3ttK9w
danwain
Roar Rookie
Huh, thought it was pretty clear Rodman lived the best life out of all of them
Jaeger
Roar Rookie
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag Drifting thought the wind Wanting to start again
Davico
Roar Pro
I think you will find that anyone who has followed basketball for a decent amount of time thinks that Phil is if not the best coach, top 2 or 3. I think that people also don't give Bill Russell enough love considering he was player/coach of the 67-68 and 68-69 Celtics Championship teams after Red hung it up!
Davico
Roar Pro
I think you are right about Daly, but both men knew that you need to take different approaches with different people. Jackson knew this with Jordan too and probably let them both get away with a lot more than many think he should have. I guess that is why he has 11 titles and everyone else is just talking about his greatness as a coach!
Davico
Roar Pro
Something max would not get! Short back and sides with no personality and do as I say!
Davico
Roar Pro
Wow, talk about sad individuals! Mirror? Suggest you watch the Rodman documentary and what he went through early on in his life. How exactly has Rodman going to North Korea affected you, your family or anything else related to you for that matter? The guy thinks he is doing the right thing to bring love to the world by reaching out a hand and doing what he thinks might help. What have you done to help the situation? Voted for Pauline perhaps?
josh
Roar Rookie
Yeah its crazy, in a league that celebrates coaches, e.g. Pat Reilly, Red Auerbach. No one has matched Phil's record and it's all kinda of dismissed as a bit of a one trick pony. With 13 in total he has to be the leading person for most NBA championships! That's not a bad trick.
ojp44
Guest
Spot on Astro
JGK
Roar Guru
Luc Longley has always been very complimentary about Rodman as a team mate. While he was kooky as hell, Longley said he was as hard a trainer as Jordan and was always focused on court.
Wal
Roar Guru
Add 2 as a player for Jackson and 13 titles is just in another stratosphere. Only comparable to Alex Ferguson of Man U (also 13 premierships) Ferguson having the luxury of doing it without salary caps and the richest club.
astro
Roar Rookie
I think you could argue it was the Pistons and Chuck Daly who first saw the massive potential of Rodman. Rodman's years with the Pistons were his best. In fact, without Daly's support, I dont think Rodman has an NBA career.
josh
Roar Rookie
This is your takeaway from the series? Right.... If anyone is sad, I'd go with Jordan. Doesn't seem to have any real connection to former teammates or peers, which is kinda understandable on their behalf.
josh
Roar Rookie
It's weird, Phil's legacy gets tarnished for his ending at the Knicks, whereas Jordan's fizzle at the Wizards is kinda glossed over, and people just remember the first 13 seasons, but really the last 7. Phil's record is incredible, winning 9 times in 12 years and all of those wins hat tricks is no mean feat.
KFar
Guest
I found it interesting that Jackson saw the massive potential in Rodman and worked with him at the Bulls to unlock it. Shows the difference between a good coach and a great coach. If you watch the doco all the ex players (MJ included) rate Rodman as one of the best players to ever have played in the NBA.
matth
Roar Guru
So Phil Jackson is probably the most valuable individual in NBA history.