“The Last Dance” is not a sports documentary. It is a portrait of a man, a family, a city, and a moment in history. The ten-part ESPN series about Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls runs 36 hours across its full runtime, and it earns every one of those minutes. Directed by Jason Hehir, the series is built on unprecedented access to Jordan himself, his former teammates, coaches, and rivals, and it uses that footage to build a case for why Jordan is the greatest athlete of all time. It also shows him as a difficult boss, a liar, and a man who could break your heart as easily as he broke records. That tension is the engine of the whole project.
The series opens with the shot that defined Jordan’s career: the game-winning jumper over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs. The documentary uses that moment as a hinge, moving backward to show how Jordan got there and forward to show what happened after. The structure is non-linear, but it never loses its thread. Each episode builds toward the 1998 NBA Finals, where Jordan won his sixth championship, and the series makes the case that this was not simply the peak of his career. It was the end of an era.
The first few episodes establish the context. Jordan’s arrival in Chicago in 1984 changed the league. The documentary spends time with the early years, showing how the Bulls built around him and how he pushed everyone around him to become better. There are interviews with Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, and Charles Barkley, all of whom speak frankly about what it was like to play against Jordan. The tone is warm but not hagiographic. The series is honest about Jordan’s flaws, and that honesty is what makes the praise feel earned.
Trailer, via ESPN.
The Dark Side of the Hero
Jordan’s temper is a central theme of the series. He was a demanding leader who could be cruel to his own teammates. The documentary shows him berating players, cutting them from the team, and refusing to let anyone stand in his way. One episode focuses on the relationship between Jordan and Pippen, and it is one of the most compelling sections of the entire series. The tension between the two stars is palpable, and the documentary does not shy away from the friction.
The series also deals with race. Jordan was black, rich, and famous, and he had to navigate a league and a country that were not always comfortable with that combination. The documentary includes footage of the 1992 Olympics, where Jordan was a reluctant leader of the Dream Team. He wanted to play, but he also knew that the role of ambassador was thrust upon him. The series shows how he handled the pressure, and it is a reminder that even the greatest athletes are human.
The Bulls’ Final Season
The second half of the series focuses on the 1997-98 season. The Bulls were aging, and the league had caught up to them. The documentary shows the grind of that season, the injuries, the losses, and the moments of magic. Jordan’s scoring average dropped, and the team struggled. But the series argues that this was not a decline. It was a test.
The 1998 Finals against the Utah Jazz are the climax. The documentary replays the shot, the championship, and the celebration. It is a fitting end to a story about a man who spent his life chasing victory. The final episode is titled “The Shot,” and it is a powerful conclusion to a powerful series.
What the Critics Said
“The Last Dance” was released in 2020, and it became a cultural event. It drew massive viewership on ESPN and was widely praised by critics. The series holds a critic score of 9.1 out of 10, and that number feels right. The series is not perfect. It is occasionally slow, and some episodes drag. But the cumulative effect is overwhelming.
The series is also a technical achievement. The editing is sharp, and the pacing is relentless. The music, mostly hip-hop and jazz, sets the tone perfectly. The interviews are conducted with care, and the subjects are allowed to speak freely. The result is a documentary that feels alive.
The Legacy Question
The series raises the question of legacy. Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player ever, and the documentary reinforces that claim. But it also complicates it. Jordan was a great competitor, but he was not always a great teammate. He was a winner, but he was not always a nice guy. The series does not resolve this tension. It simply presents it, and that is the strength of the approach.
The series is a document of a generation, and it is a document of a sport.
The Numbers Behind the Story
The series is a massive undertaking. It runs for ten episodes, and the total runtime is 36 hours. That is a commitment from both the network and the viewer. The production quality is high, and the interviews are conducted with the kind of access that is rarely seen in sports documentaries. The series also includes archival footage, and it uses it effectively to build a narrative.
The documentary is also a product of its time. It was released in 2020, during a period of social and political upheaval. The series touches on race, class, and power, and it does so with a sensitivity that is rare in sports programming. The series is not explicitly political, but it is implicitly so. It is a story about a man who succeeded in a system that was not designed for him.
Key Facts Box
- Title: The Last Dance
- Director: Jason Hehir
- Subject: Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls
- Runtime: 36 hours across ten episodes
- Release Year: 2020
- Network: ESPN
- Critical Score: 9.1 out of 10
Episodes by Subject
- The Shot (1989 playoff game over Craig Ehlo)
- The Early Years (Jordan’s arrival in Chicago in 1984)
- The Dream Team (1992 Olympics)
- The Bulls’ Dynasty (the mid-1990s championships)
- The Relationship Between Jordan and Pippen
- The 1997-98 Regular Season
- The 1998 NBA Finals Against the Utah Jazz
- The Farewell Speech
- The Legacy of Michael Jordan
- The Final Episode: “The Shot”
The list reflects the series’ structure, not an official ranking.
The Verdict
“The Last Dance” is a masterful work of documentary filmmaking. It is not a biography, and it is not a hagiography. It is a portrait of a complex man, and it is a portrait of a moment in history. The series is flawed, but it is also essential. It is a document of a generation, and it is a document of a sport.
The series is available on ESPN+ for subscribers, and it is worth watching. It is a long watch, but it is a rewarding one. The series is a reminder that greatness comes at a price, and that price is often paid in loneliness, in sacrifice, and in the constant need to prove oneself.
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