ESPN moves up air date of Jordan documentary
The “Last Dance” is coming sooner than expected.
On Tuesday, ESPN announced its long awaited and highly anticipated documentary on NBA legend Michael Jordan’s 1997-98 championship season with the Chicago Bulls would be coming out in April.
Though the first trailer for the series aired three months ago, with a revised trailer debuting Tuesday to reflect the release date change, the documentary had actually been in production since Jordan led the Bulls to their sixth title in eight years. An NBA Entertainment crew followed the team around for what was Jordan’s final season in Chicago.
The new release date has already brought about much needed reprieve around the NBA and sports world.
“April 19th can’t come fast enough. I CAN NOT WAIT!! Yessir! #LastDance,” Lakers star LeBron James tweeted Tuesday.
James, like many others, has been asking for ESPN to release it sooner than its original June projection. In a March 26 episode of the RoadTrippinPodcast, James — arguably the best player of this generation and who is often compared to Jordan — knows the Jordan doc can give everyone a boost.
“Man, I’m telling you, if they release that thing now, the views,” James started. “If I’m Michael Jordan, I’m going in there and I’m making a conference call and I’m like, ‘OK, what’s the reason we’re holding on to it to June now? Compared to now when everybody’s at home.’”
The 10-part series will air two episodes every Sunday on the network and on Netflix from April 19 to May 17. The docu-series was initially meant to be released during this year’s NBA finals. With the NBA and every other major sports league being shut down because of the coronavirus outbreak, the network expedited their production process.
“Michael Jordan and the ’90s Bulls weren’t just sports superstars, they were a global phenomenon,” Jason Hehir, the director of “Last Dance,” said in a statement.
The documentary — along with airing never before seen footage of the ’97-98 Bulls — also includes “extensive profiles of Jordan’s key teammates including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr,” according to ESPN.
The network said the move comes ahead of many calls for the network to release more content in lieu of the COVID-19 related sports shutdowns.
“As society navigates this time without live sports, viewers are still looking to the sports world to escape and enjoy a collective experience,” ESPN said in a statement.