Warriors delight in seeing Jordan’s splendor
Each Sunday evening, before taking a seat on his livingroom couch in Windsor, Ontario, Warriors guard Mychal Mulder pulls on one of his more than 30 pairs of Air Jordans.
Born in 1994, Mulder’s only memories of Michael Jordan’s playing days are from Jordan’s forgettable Wizards stint in the early 2000s. As a kid, Mulder knew Jordan more as a style icon, someone whose signature shoes were musthaves at Mulder’s grade school.
Over the past several weeks, while watching “The Last Dance” documentary series in his Jordan Retros, Mulder has relished learning about all that made Jordan one of the best players in NBA history. Though Mulder had seen highlights and heard stories, he didn’t fully grasp the depth of Jordan’s competitiveness until the end of Episode 7.
Seated in his Miami mansion, Jordan — now a 57yearold keenly aware of his reputation as a difficult teammate
— chokes up explaining why he was often a tyrannical leader. “I don’t have to do this,” Jordan says, fighting back tears. “I’m only doing it because it is who I am. That’s how I played the game. That was my mentality.”
This scene has been widely lauded as the most compelling of the 10part series’ first eight episodes, but perhaps no one appreciated it more than hoops addicts who weren’t fortunate enough to see Jordan in his prime. For a couple of hours every Sunday, Mulder and many of his Warriors teammates feel just like other 20somethings, grateful for the chance to better understand an alltime great.
Of the 15 players on Golden State’s roster, nine are 25 or younger. By the time they were beginning to take basketball seriously, Jordan was well into retirement and even Kobe Bryant, considered by many the heir to Jordan’s throne, was deep into his prime. The vast majority of Warriors players most identify with LeBron James for the simple fact that they actually got to watch his entire career.
Golden State’s Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, Marquese Chriss and others grew up debating who was the best player of all time — Jordan or James? — in their school cafeterias during lunch. Poole always sided with Jordan. His father, a Chicago native, had told him stories about Jordan’s greatness. But for Paschall and Chriss, James deserved the nod. They didn’t feel comfortable arguing in favor of someone they hadn’t witnessed in person.
“I mean, I didn’t get to experience what other guys got to experience as far as seeing MJ or the early Kobe years,” said Paschall, who, at 23, is older than five of his teammates. “However, I legit saw every aspect of LeBron’s legacy. That goes a long way.”
Jordan recognizes as much, which is why he helped ensure that “The Last Dance” finally came out 22 years after NBA Entertainment cameramen shadowed the 199798 Bulls. In the weeks leading up to the series’ debut last month, Jordan took notes on every episode, offering director Jason Hehir feedback on which moments and games deserved more air time.
The result was 8½ hours of television that provide a window into Jordan’s psyche. Though many of the topics covered were already wellknown, “The Last Dance” expertly details the reasons behind his unyielding drive: his backyard battles with his brothers, his father’s strict parenting, that same dad’s 1993 murder.
Viewers are left feeling compassion for someone who had seemed larger than life. This human connection, perhaps more than Jordan’s athletic feats, has resonated with the younger generations of basketball fans. All four Warriors players interviewed for this story cited that Episode 7 scene of Jordan fighting back tears as their favorite part of the series, which is set to air its final two episodes Sunday.
“When ( Jordan) just said he never asked anybody to do anything that he wouldn’t do, that really stuck with me,” Chriss said. “You want your leader to lead by example, but also be vocal at the same time. It honestly reminded me a bit of (Warriors teammate) Draymond” Green.
Chriss is hardly the only Warriors player who, while watching “The Last Dance,” has thought about Green. His aggressive leadership style mirrored Jordan’s in many ways. If not for Green’s bravado, Golden State teams loaded with mildmannered personalities wouldn’t have reached five straight NBA Finals.
The parallel between Green and Jordan is just one reminder that, even in different eras, all dynasties have some of the same characteristics: an emotional leader, a quality supporting cast and, perhaps most importantly, a teamoriented ethos. As highlighted in “The Last Dance,” the Bulls’ run was undone by contract disputes and frontoffice rifts.
Just last year, the Warriors fell victim to major injuries, polarizing personalities and lockerroom turmoil. Most of Golden State’s current youngsters, however, weren’t around for Kevin Durant’s muchpublicized issues that hastened his exit.
What they do know well is how Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s unifying personality can help a team even enjoy the season despite a leagueworst record. Mulder — like Kerr on those Bulls, a reserve guard known for his shooting ability — chuckled watching Episode 8 when Jordan discussed his infamous practice fight with Kerr.
“What didn’t surprise me is the way Steve responded,” Mulder said. “The fact that it brought them closer together and they were able to get through that, recognize that it was competitor verses competitor. The fact that earned Steve some respect from Jordan.”
Episode 9 on Sunday will explore Kerr’s background, including the 1984 assassination of his father. This is an opportunity for those Warriors players just getting to know Kerr to learn what drives someone they work with daily.
Though they might not get the chance to meet Jordan, many of Golden State’s 20somethings feel as if they already know him well. And that only helps his case in the greatestofalltime debate.
“I feel like Michael Jordan is the one who changed the game,” Poole said. “He’s the best to ever play in my book.”