"There’s a generation out there who understand you as a brand, your shoes, the Jordan brand" - Adam Silver on Michael Jordan finally agreeing to have 'The Last Dance' produced and released

The Last Dance came out more than two decades after Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls won the 1997-98 title. [Photo: Sporting News]

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on an episode of the Dan Patrick Show. Silver divulged what went on behind the cameras to influence Michael Jordan’s decision to produce and release The Last Dance. Silver stated:

“Five years ago or so that some of his longtime colleagues went to him and said, ‘It’s time! There’s a generation out there who understand you as a brand, your shoes, the Jordan brand and all that but never understood who you were and what you brought to the game.’ And I think that moved him.”

Adam Silver was the NBA’s President of Media Entertainment during Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 championship season. With the late Jerry Krause publicly intending to break up the core of the team, Silver and NBA Entertainment got the approval to film the historic campaign.

With the NBA acting like flies on the wall, the league compiled some of the most eye-opening behind-the-scenes stories of Michael Jordan and the Bulls. The exciting and never-before-seen footage, however, remained locked up in the vaults for more than two decades after the Bull’s last championship.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joins The Dan Patrick Show! ihe.art/rHJU8cw

Michael Jordan retired after the 2002-03 campaign after playing two seasons with the Washington Wizards. The events of the documentary series, however, were already 24 years under lock and key before Jordan gave his signal to release it in 2020.

To put this into perspective, legendary Spurs forward Tim Duncan was a rookie in Jordan’s last season with the Bulls. The Last Dance was released only after Duncan, who played 19 seasons with the Spurs, was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame.

The Last Dance is the most-watched documentary in Disney history.

It averaged 5.6M viewers per episode and generated tens of millions in revenue — including $4M for Jordan himself.

Here’s a breakdown: https://t.co/dX2cB6DQ6z

By then, Michael Jordan was a cultural icon, a global brand and, more often than not, the leading GOAT candidate. But despite that, his exploits and mind-boggling skills have become distant memories for some fans, while the new ones can’t even relate to him.

Countering LeBron James’ GOAT credentials was reportedly a big reason Michael Jordan decided to release The Last Dance

Michael Jordan's people reportedly released The Last Dance to remind basketball fans of Jordan's case for the GOAT recognition. [Photo: Sky Sports]

When Netflix released the first episode of The Last Dance in July 2020, LeBron James had just won his fourth NBA title. James had led the Los Angeles Lakers past the Miami Heat in the pandemic-hit season in what would later be dubbed the “Bubble Championship.”

Part of the reason LeBron James is so popular among young basketball fans is because of the huge gap between his and Michael Jordan’s respective eras. Jordan is often disrespected by so many, simply because they were not there to witness his terrorization of opponents.

When pressed by Dan Patrick about whether The Last Dance came out to give fans a clearer perspective on the GOAT debate, Adam Silver had this to say:

“I don’t think Michael is immune from hearing about potential GOATs out there. You know, it’s never said directly, but there has to be a part of him as he’s watching the game today.”

Scottie Pippen says Michael Jordan was ‘determined’ to prove he was still larger than LeBron James by releasing ‘The Last Dance’: lakersdaily.com/scottie-pippen…

Whether Jordan’s mini-series achieved this goal is uncertain. What’s certain, though, is that the GOAT debate remains heated. LeBron James’ failure with the Lakers this season will only serve to fuel the debate more.