The Last Dance Cultural Impact

Lore & Background

The series features exclusive footage from a film crew with an all-access pass to the Bulls, and interviews of many NBA personalities, including Jordan's teammates (Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr) and then-Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. The Last Dance aired on ESPN from April 19 to May 17, 2020, in the United States, while its episodes were released on Netflix internationally the day after their American airings on a rolling basis; beginning on May 23, two episodes were aired back-to-back on ESPN's corporate partner ABC. ESPN2 aired an alternate version of the series intended for family viewing, which removed most of the profanity heard in the episodes.

In Their Own Story

The air in the United Center is thick with the scent of popcorn and floor wax, yet for a moment, it feels like 1998. A young fan, barely old enough to remember the final shot against Utah, watches a black-and-white clip on a phone screen. The grainy footage shows Jordan driving past Malone, the crowd roaring in a rhythm that hasn't changed in twenty years. He looks up at the rafters where six banners hang, silent witnesses to the chaos described in the documentary he just finished. The history isn't dead; it's breathing again, echoing through the concrete halls of Chicago.

Reader's Guide

The series was released weekly from April 19, 2020 to May 17, 2020, with two episodes airing each Sunday. Outside of the United States, the episodes were released on Netflix the day after their ESPN airing. ESPN2 aired a censored version of the documentary alongside the ESPN broadcast. The censored version was also aired on ABC.

Did You Know?

• The series won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.
• Over 500 hours of all-access footage was filmed, though only a portion was used to create the 10-part documentary series.
• The fifth episode is dedicated to Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.
• The series was met with critical acclaim, with praise for its directing and editing, and also for the timing of the release during the initial weeks of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.