Jordan captures the imagination again

For two hours Sunday night, covid-19 was forgotten.

So was just about everything else.

The Last Dance, the documentary on the Chicago Bulls’ sixth NBA championship season in 1997-98, aired from 8 p.m to 10 p.m., and it was spellbinding.

As our man Bob Holt tweeted, “fastest two hours of my life.”

The nation was treated to a little of Big Joe Kleine, who was on that team; Sidney Moncrief, who was Super Sid for the Milwaukee Bucks; President Bill Clinton; and UCA associate athletic director for media relations Steve East.

They all had supporting roles.

The star, though, was Michael Jordan.

By the time the first two installments of the

Dance had finished — with eight more hours to go spread over the next four Sundays — no one was debating whether Jordan or LeBron James is the best ever.

Jordan proved he was, is and might always be the G.O.A.T.

The first two hours also left the impression that Jerry Krause, the Bulls’ general manager at the time, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf were not very likeable.

Reinsdorf said he tried to warn Scottie Pippen — who got a lot of air time — not to sign the seven-year, $18 million contract. The Bulls let him anyway, and they held him to it.

Mostly, though, it was the MJ show.

Which is why the behindthe-scenes footage was shot more than 20 years but hadn’t been used. Jordan had the right to refuse any pitch.

Jordan came across as confident to the point of arrogance. There was one scene when he was leaving the locker room, and he refused to give a police officer’s son his autograph.

Mostly, though, it was about his incredible game.

It was like former NBA star James Worthy said about their time together at North Carolina: “I was better than MJ, for about two weeks.”

Jordan’s work ethic may have been as big as his ego.

When he didn’t make the varsity team as a sophomore, he was told first by his dad and then the coaches he had to work harder than anyone else.

By his senior year in Wilmington, he was becoming a high school sensation.

Roy Williams, then an assistant to Dean Smith (the only person who could hold Jordan to 19 points), talked a little about recruiting him. He knew Jordan was special the first time he saw him.

Williams also pointed out no one worked harder than Jordan.

As a freshman, he hit the game winner against Georgetown for Smith’s first national championship.

In his third and final season, the Tar Heels were No. 1 in the nation when they came to Pine Bluff to play the University of Arkansas and were handed their first loss of the season 65-64.

Smith advised Jordan he was ready for the NBA after his junior year.

Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie, both centers, were taken with the top two picks. Jordan was third, landing with the Bulls.

He was an instant hit, but after a couple of years he was frustrated by the organization because he was a one-man team. He wanted to win championships.

The Bulls swung a trade for the draft rights to Pippen, and drafted Horace Grant. History was about to be written.

The Bulls had two threepeats while winning six championships, but it was the final one that is the focus of Last Dance.

Over the next eight hours of the documentary series, there likely will be a mention of Jordan being the most marketable athlete in history.

His deal with Nike was so lucrative he didn’t need a salary, but he got a huge one anyway.

Jordan, who returned in 1985 to UNC to get his degree, is a billionaire and the primary owner of the Charlotte Hornets.

Can’t wait for the next installments Sunday.