By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
In the ninth episode of “The Last Dance,” Reggie Miller recalls a tale from his very first matchup with Michael Jordan back in 1987. Miller, a rookie, tried to talk some trash to MJ after seeing him struggling in the first half, telling him “You are Michael Jordan? The guy who walks on water?”
Whatever the young Miller had in his mind didn’t work since Jordan went to completely outscore him in the second half. According to Miller, when Jordan was walking off the court he said “don’t ever talk trash to the Black Jesus.”
For generations of people worldwide, Jordan was – and still is- something akin to a deity. A figure that has commanded religious-like worship and adoration, an icon that inspired millions. MJ became a global phenomenon and his impact was correspondingly vast and felt through the whole planet, especially by those who as kids grabbed a ball and dreamt of becoming like him one day.
In light of the showing of “The Last Dance”, Eurohoops asked #23 (yes, the number is far from coincidental) EuroLeague players to discuss their experience from watching the documentary, how it affected them, and the inspiration they drew by getting such an inside look on Michael Jordan’s career, mentality and character.
The 23 players were asked the following questions:
1) Is your impression of Michael Jordan any different after watching The Last Dance?
2) What was the most surprising/shocking/unexpected perhaps thing you watched in The Last Dance?
3) What sort of inspiration do you think that The Last Dance provides for athletes overall and you personally? – What would you tell MJ if you had him in front of you right now?
The list of players is pretty diverse: It includes former EuroLeague MVPs, champions, Final Four MVPs, All-First Team Members and NBAers. There are players who come from different countries and backgrounds, hoopers who witnessed his “His Airness” in all his glory when the greatness was happening, others who first took a taste of it on DVD or a TV special, and some who probably got a serious idea of who he was mainly thanks to YouTube. There’s also someone who wasn’t even three years old when MJ played his last game with the Washington Wizards in 2003.
The factor that connects them? They were all inspired in one way or another by The Last Dance with some admitting that the documentary had a major, immediate effect on them.
The players are presented in alphabetical order.
Billy Baron: “Not only was he the best, he also worked the hardest”
1. My impression of MJ didn’t change, he’s always been the GOAT and always will be the GOAT.
3. I knew Dennis Rodman was doing his own thing most of the time but I forgot that he went and made an appearance during the finals with the WCW. That’s absolutely wild.
3) I always knew the type of leader MJ was. My agent my first few years out of college was BJ Armstrong and when I was preparing for the NBA Draft in Los Angeles I used to head over to BJ’s office and just ask him to tell me stories of Mike. When MJ said leadership has a price and that he didn’t make anyone do something that he didn’t do was by far the part in the documentary that was the most inspiring. Not only was he the best but he worked the hardest and got addicted to winning and made sure his team did something every single day that got them closer to the final goal. This is why I take pride in calling him the GOAT because of everything he stands for.
Malcolm Delaney: “The Last Dance actually made me have more respect for MJ”
1. No, my impressions of Michael Jordan didn’t change. I studied Jordan and I was well aware of most of these things growing up. It actually made me have more respect seeing it in this light because his mentality made him the killer he was. It wasn’t just skill.
2. The most shocking thing was seeing how Dennis Rodman left to take a vacation to Las Vegas and came back like nothing happened and the fact that he also missed a shootaround to go do wrestling and make some money during the finals (laughs).
3. The inspiration is really just showing what are the results when mental toughness meets physical preparation. Finding ways to self motivate and not always looking for the next person. And if MJ was in front of me I’d just thank him for what he did for basketball. And the sneaker world (laughs).
Amedeo Della Valle: “I wish I could have fun with Dennis Rodman one night”
1. Honestly, I was following Michael Jordan’career very closely the whole time. There were still some episodes that I didn’t know about but I really expected to see him like that. Because he wants to win so bad.. he wants it so badly that he’s going to do whatever it takes. He’s always given me that vibe and I’m glad that this was confirmed in the show.
2. The craziest things I experienced in The Last Dance was that many of the players were able to leave during the Finals. For example, Michael Jordan went to the casino and Dennis Rodman actually went to perform for WWE. In a wrestling stage. I loved his character before and now I love him even more because he’s so bizarre and so real.
3. I think The Last Dance is a big motivation for every basketball player. Especially since while we were watching the show, most of us weren’t in the gym [due to the shutdown]. And we wanted to get back in the gym, to go hard, to work out. Just by watching the show, it pushes you to get better. That’s the main thing.
Jordan is great of course but by watching the show… I wish I could have fun with Dennis Rodman for one night.
Bobby Dixon (a.k.a. Ali Muhammad): “He wanted to win but he was a big as–ole”
1. My first impression of Michael Jordan… I kind of knew about how obsessed he was. Me being from Chicago, I saw most of that when I was growing up. He was larger than life.
2. The most shocking thing to me was seeing how aggressive MJ was and how he talked to people. Jordan wanted to win but he was a big as—ole (laughs).
3. I mean, of course, there’s only one Michael Jordan. To see what it took to become the greatest basketball player of all time? It teaches you to always do your best and strive to become great on whatever level you on.
I probably wouldn’t say much if I met him but: What’s up Mike, can I get a photo? He probably would say no then I would hit him with some jokes (laughs).
Zoran Dragic: “Winning first starts in your head”
1. No. He was notorious competitor before and also after “The Last Dance”
2. Just how exhausting the whole journey was. The journey of winning and the path to get to that winning team mentality.
3. The inspiration for me is that winning first starts in your head. If you want to win you have to believe. And once you believe, it’s not about saying but more about doing it. No pain, no gain, as they say.
What I would say to MJ? I admire you because you sacrificed so much for winning and trying to be the best. And I congratulate you for doing it.
Anthony Gill: “The Last Dance will make everyone strive to be more like MJ”
1. I did have a chance to actually watch some of the games and I was able to see what was going on during that time. I was too young to remember any of his games.
2. I think the two things that stood out the most were Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. Dennis was a beast and would party all night and still dominate everyone. Scottie was a great player that was drastically underpaid.
3. The Last Dance will make everyone strive to be more like Michael. They will work really hard to be the best they can be. Thank you, Mike, for all that you have done for the game
Kyle Hines: “MJ, you’re the reason I play basketball”
1. My impression of Michael Jordan didn’t actually change that much. I was a big Michael Jordan while growing up, I had seen Michael Jordan to the max and I’ve read everything. For me, it was more or less like a confirmation of who he is and the greatness of the player he was. On and off the basketball court. His competitiveness and all that stuff. I kind of grew up in that era so I knew everything about Michael Jordan already. So for me, it was more or less like a confirmation to kind of see his greatness on the basketball court. His competitive nature. His fire. His will to win. All that gave me a confirmation of why he was the best basketball player and one of the greatest athletes of all time.
2. The most shocking things to me where the stuff with Dennis Rodman. I knew about him, I knew about his story. But just to kind of see the different things he did… like riding motorcycles after the game, skipping practice to go to a wrestling match. Those things were definitely kind of surprising to me. I thought I knew him but I didn’t necessarily remember all those different situations. Then also the life in which Michael Jordan lived. The fact that he couldn’t even leave his hotel room. He couldn’t do some of the normal things. This are the kind of shocking things. To see it from his perspective and to see why he walked away from basketball during that time.
But definitely Dennis Rodman. All the things he was doing were definitely crazy and kind of wild. The story of him leaving to go to Vegas for a load management trip… I think that was funny. Also to see Jordan’s rapport with the security guards and the people around him. At the time he was the most famous basketball player in the world. The most famous athlete in the world. He could easily be not so open. But the fact that he was open with his security guys and some other people in the arena. I think that kind of showed the kind of person he was. That was definitely surprising to me.
3. The inspiration for me was just showing the dedication, determination and the willingness a person has to have in order to be great. Michael Jordan was truly committed to winning and being the greatest of all time at any cost. He was going to sacrifice everything and anything in order to win a championship or a basketball game. His competitive nature, his competitive spirit was what made him the greatest. That’s the inspiration itself for me. That if you want to be great, not only in basketball but anything, you got to have that determination and competitive fire he had to win.
It was also motivational to kind off see not only him but that championship team. What it takes to be a championship team, successful team. All the work, all the effort that you got to put into during the season. It was inspiring for me from that standpoint. To see the work and the grind that goes through in order to be successful at your craft.
If I was in front of Michael Jordan right now? I would just say thank you. Thank you for all that he’s done and all he’s contributed to the game of basketball. He has inspired millions and millions of kids, millions of players all over the Earth. Just by his game and just by playing. I would say thank you and show him gratitude. He’s the reason why I play basketball. He’s the reason why I have Jordan shoes, why I wanted to be successful as a basketball player. I would just show gratitude and appreciation.
Austin Hollins: “MJ set an example for the work necessary to be the greatest athlete ever”
1. I don’t have a different opinion about Michael Jordan after watching The Last Dance, however, I do appreciate his greatness even more and it solidifies what I already believed which was that he was the greatest of all time.
2. There were a lot of things that surprised me while I was watching, so it’s hard to pick just one. There was a lot of dysfunction on that team, but they still managed to win. I think Scottie Pippen refusing to go in the game when Phil Jackson didn’t draw the play up for him was a moment I was not expecting.
3. I think that The Last Dance motivates athletes to work for what they want regardless of what sport they may play. There are many different ways to lead and to be successful, but the work is the same. Jordan set an example for the work necessary to be the greatest athlete ever. He wasn’t worried about what people thought about him because his end goal was so much more important than that to him. As a competitor, there’s no way to watch an up close and personal behind the scenes documentary about a person who inspired many of the greatest players of this generation (and of all time) and not draw inspiration from it. People may not agree about how he did things but I don’t think there’s any doubt about who is the greatest to ever play the game. It’s Michael Jordan.