Michael Jordan Talks About His Life, ESPN Series

Basketball icon Michael Jordan joined “Good Morning America” on Thursday to discuss his life and the upcoming “The Last Dance” ESPN docuseries.

A Legend’s Upbringing

Jordan has always stressed how important his upbringing was to his success. Jordan was raised by Deloris and James Jordan, who he says instilled in him his world-renowned work ethic:

James Jordan was tragically murdered in July 1993. This partially prompted Jordan’s abrupt 1993 retirement, as he pursued a baseball career.

Jordan also credits his older brother Larry for providing him with constant competition growing up:

Larry now serves as director of player personnel for the Charlotte Hornets.

“The Last Dance”

Most of Jordan’s Thursday morning GMA appearance was spent discussing “The Last Dance.” The 10-part ESPN docuseries chronicles the Bulls’ 1997-1998 season and finals run – the last of Jordan’s six championships.

ESPN was set to release it in June, but moved the premiere date up to April 19, as live sports are on hold due to the coronavirus.

The name stems from head coach Phil Jackson, as he dubbed the season “the last dance.” Jackson knew that it would be his final year as Chicago’s head coach, as his relationship with general manager Jerry Krause had grown rocky. Jordan touched on this Thursday, as he said Krause told Jackson, “You can go 82-0, but you’ll never have the chance to come back”:

Jordan also knew from the start that it would be his last season as a Bull. “I’d married myself to Phil. If he wasn’t going to be the coach, I wasn’t going to play,” he told Roberts.

The docuseries will give fans a uniquely personal look into the interpersonal dynamics between Jordan, teammates and coaches. He openly admits that this in-depth look into his unparalleled drive to win might rub some fans the wrong way.

In an interview with The Athletic, Jordan tells fans that “you’re going to think that I’m a horrible guy.” Though he knows that footage of himself berating teammates may make people feel this way, it was necessary.

Jordan and the Bulls completed their second threepeat with a victory over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 Finals.

The first episode of “The Last Dance” airs on Sunday, April 19 at 9:00 ET.