“That was the real Michael Jeffrey Jordan” - Skip Bayless applauds Michael Jordan for showing his behind the scenes personality in "The Last Dance"
Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is known as one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a basketball court. Throughout his time in the NBA, Jordan became a global icon.
One of the most talented players in the history of the NBA, there was no shortage of memorable moments when it came to the Chicago Bulls legend.
One of the most memorable moments from Jordan's illustrious career was the 1997-98 season, in which the Chicago Bulls allowed a film crew to follow them as they went for their sixth title in eight seasons.
This was later introduced as the popular Netflix documentary titled "The Last Dance." It allowed fans to see behind-the-scenes footage of the Bulls and Jordan, giving them an up-close-and-personal look at the legendary superstar.
After the documentary was released, many in the sporting world were a bit surprised at the legend's blunt mentality. Michael Jordan was never afraid to go to extreme measures to get the best out of his teammates, something that rubbed people the wrong way.
Analyst Skip Bayless spoke about the documentary, saying that he applauded Jordan for allowing the footage to be revealed because it showed people the "real" version of the superstar. Bayless said:
"I applauded Michael because he knew that a lot of people were not going to like that Michael behind the scenes and he allowed that to be revealed and he said before it ever aired a lot of people aren't going to like me as much anymore.
"I'm sure they didn't because he bullied and verbally abused many of his teammates to motivate them. That's just the way he operated. That's who he was. I saw it up close. I saw it personally, so be it... that was the real Michael Jeffrey Jordan."
Skip Bayless praises "The Last Dance" for showing the real Michael Jordan
It's been more than two years since "The Last Dance" was released and fans are still buzzing about the footage. Although it wasn't known by the public at the time, it was the final year in which Jordan and the entire Chicago Bulls core would be together.
Legendary head coach Phil Jackson had presented the Bulls with the theme "The Last Dance" at the beginning of the season, knowing it was their last opportunity to win one final championship together.
25 YEARS AGO TODAY 🐐
Michael Jordan finally put Dikembe Mutombo on a poster & then gave him the finger wag
Earlier in the season, they had this conversation about MJ never dunking on Deke in 6 years https://t.co/BZvpSqBufx
Throughout the segment, Skip Bayless goes into depth about how he was able to spend a lot of time throughout his personal career getting to know Michael Jordan.
He stressed that while people might not have liked the way that Jordan acted with his teammates; it was simply who he was as a player. Jordan believed it was necessary to motivate them.