'Adam Silver’s promise to Michael Jordan in 1997 was, 'Let us shoot this, give us access. One day we’ll have a great video, or if you’re not ready for it to be released, you’ll have the best home video anybody has ever had.''
Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images The origin story of The Last Dance, ESPN’s ten-part documentary centered on the final season of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls dynasty, begins with a producer named Andy Thompson.
Andy Thompson: I first met Michael when I produced a feature on him with NBA Inside Stuff host Ahmad Rashād. Jordan had this special private room at a steakhouse in Chicago, where he could go with a few guests and teammates and not be bothered. While I was setting up there for the shoot, Ahmad turned to Michael and said, “Hey, do you know who he is?” Michael said, “No.” Ahmad said, “That’s Mychal Thompson’s brother.
How did you get Jordan and Phil Jackson, who as head coach had long been wary about the media observing Bulls practice and scrimmages, onboard with the idea? Was there a point in the season at which the Bulls became comfortable with your presence, when you had spent enough time around the team that the cameras and the microphones and the people holding them became, essentially, furniture?
That was the first time all year when I saw Michael by himself, just with the weight of the Finals on his shoulders. In the corner, Pippen is getting worked on by the trainers. Phil Jackson comes into the locker room, looks at me, looks at the camera, and I’m thinking, He’s about to throw us out. Phil walks in, walks by me, and walks over to Pippen, leans over and whispers something into Pippen’s ear, probably a question as to whether he was feeling good enough to play that night.
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