5 things we learned from Episodes 5 and 6 of ‘The Last Dance’

Episodes 5-6 of “The Last Dance” shed light on a few more stories we thought we knew. Here are five things we learned about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls this week.

The Last Dance didn’t bring a ton of new stories to the table in Episodes 5-6, but so far, the real beauty of this 10-part docuseries on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls hasn’t been earth-shattering revelations.

No, the best part of these first six episodes has been pulling back the curtain on perhaps the greatest dynasty in NBA history. The content itself isn’t shocking, but getting to hear these stories told by Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson and the rest of the Bulls’ teammates, opponents and media members who were there for it all makes for riveting television.

The younger generation that wasn’t around for Jordan’s reign in the ’90s is learning a ton of new information, but even those who remember that golden age of NBA basketball are seeing these stories brought to life in a new and exciting way. The base facts are well known, but the magnitude and details of these stories are what really shines through.

We’ve already got you covered for the summary and reactions, as well as the best standout quotes, but in case you missed The Last Dance this week, or if you just feel like reliving it, here are the five interesting things Episodes 5-6 shed more light on.

5. Jordan really wasn’t about Nike at first

Michael Jordan, Nike and the Air Jordan brand are synonymous now, but back in 1984, when the Chicago rookie’s NBA career was just about to begin, their pairing wasn’t a sure thing. In fact, Jordan was more of an Adidas guy, and didn’t even want to take the pitch meeting with Nike, which was more of a track shoe company at the time.

His agent, David Falk, tried to push Jordan towards Nike, but it was MJ’s mother, Deloris, who persuaded her son to get on that plane and hear Nike out. After hearing their pitch, Jordan’s father, James, was convinced their offer was the way to go. Most players in Jordan’s position would’ve gotten $100,000 back then without playing a single NBA game yet, but Nike offered him $250,000.

The “Air Jordan” brand came from mixing Jordan with Nike’s new “air soles” technology, and an unstoppable fashion icon that later became its own brand was born. According to The Last Dance, Nike had hoped to sell $3 million worth of Air Jordans through year 4; they wound up selling $126 million within the first year.

And to think, the Air Jordan brand that successfully merged urban culture with sports may never have happened if not for Deloris.

4. The bloody Jordan 1s

In Michael Jordan’s final game at his favorite NBA venue, Madison Square Garden, he decided to don a pair of his 1984 Jordan 1s. Wearing the shoe that started it all, it was a way to signify his career coming full circle.

Despite the fact that his feet were bleeding by halftime in those 14-year-old shoes, Jordan gave the crowd a show worthy of the standing ovation he received before the game even began.

From talking smack to Spike Lee sitting court-side (“You come out here and guard me!”) to finishing with 42 points, Jordan made sure his last appearance at MSG was a memorable one … and he did it all with bloody feet.

Or, as MJ joked himself with Patrick Ewing after the game, “Had to go all the way back to ’84 to whip y’all ass.”

3. How big the gambling controversy was

Everyone remembers gambling as one of the most controversial things about Michael Jordan’s reign over the ’90s, and it’s even been speculated that his first NBA retirement stemmed from commissioner David Stern making him step away from basketball due to all that gambling. The most interesting part of that whole ordeal in ’93, however, was the underlying context.

Jordan was beloved around the world, seen as an infallible, perfect athlete who never did anything wrong. When a $57,000 check addressed to Slim Bouler, a golf hustler and buddy of Jordan’s, came to light, the public became consumed with investigating whether sports’ golden boy actually had vices to worry about.

Between “The Jordan Rules” book and the gambling news blowing up once again, the 1992-93 season was incredibly taxing for the Bulls, who were already dealing with the expected challenges that come with attempting a three-peat.

“I remember Magic Johnson saying, ‘You guys are gonna drive him outta this game if you keep this up,'” David Aldridge recalled. “‘Cause he’s tired of you guys pickin’ on him.”

In the Eastern Conference Finals that year, the Bulls found themselves trailing the New York Knicks 2-0, but the bigger story was Jordan taking a trip to Atlantic City the night before Game 2 to unwind with his father. Jordan maintains he was back at the hotel at a reasonable hour, but the media blew it up into questions about his commitment to basketball and his possible addiction.

Jordan responded to all the media scrutiny in Game 3, leading the Bulls to four straight wins and eventually a third straight championship. But because of all the off-court controversy, it was a mentally and emotionally draining season, during which he even stopped talking to the media for a time.

“People build you up to tear you down, and it happens in sports all the time,” Ahmad Rashad said. “If a team wins too much, you want ‘em to lose.”

2. Jordan’s reasoning for not speaking out on social issues

Between the constant crowds, sky-high expectations, worldwide renown, jam-packed schedule, nonstop media coverage and public scrutiny every time he did something that wasn’t exactly what everyone wanted from him, being “like Mike” was a gargantuan proposition.

“I wouldn’t want to be like Mike,” Bulls PR director Tim Hallam said. “It’s an impossible task.”

This is certainly on display in Episodes 5-6, which hone in on the gambling controversy, “The Jordan Rules” and the criticism Jordan received for not using his platform to be more of an advocate for important social issues. For example, Jordan was criticized for not publicly supporting Democrat Harvey Gantt, an African-American, in his race for the senate against Jesse Helms, a deplorable Republican candidate.

“Any African-American in this society that sees significant success has an added burden, and a lot of times, America is very quick to embrace a Michael Jordan or an Oprah Winfrey or a Barack Obama so long as it’s understood that you don’t get too controversial around broader issues of social justice,” former president Barack Obama said.

Given how vocal today’s NBA stars are on social issues, Jordan’s refusal to get involved with public stances on political and social issues is a stark contrast that paints him in a worse light.

“I do commend Muhammad Ali for standing up for what he believed in, but I never thought of myself as an activist,” Jordan explained. “I thought of myself as a basketball player. I wasn’t a politician when I was playing my sport, I was focused on my craft. Was that selfish? Probably, but that was where my energy was.”

Should Jordan have tried to make more of a difference given his worldwide renown? Undoubtedly. But even though prominent sports figures like Ali, Bill Russell and LeBron James deserve a ton of credit for using their platforms to speak out about important issues, none of them came saddled with the same kind of constant, global expectation to be nothing short of perfect.

“It’s never gonna be enough for everybody, I know that, I realize that,” Jordan said. “‘Cause everybody has a preconceived idea in terms of what they think I should do and what I shouldn’t do. The way I go about my life is I set examples. And if it inspires you, great. I will continue to do that. If it doesn’t, then maybe I’m not the person that you should be following.”

1. Jordan didn’t keep Isiah Thomas off the Dream Team (or so he says)

Because of Jordan’s icy relationship with the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons, the GOAT has often been blamed for Isiah Thomas‘ exclusion from the Dream Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

However, Jordan isn’t copping to anything, claiming he simply asked if Thomas would be on the roster. He unequivocally denied that he excluded Thomas or threatened not to play if the Pistons star made the cut.

“I respect Isiah Thomas’ talent,” Jordan said. “To me, the best point guard of all time is Magic Johnson, and right behind him is Isiah Thomas. No matter how much I hate him, I respect his game. Now it was insinuated that I was asking about him, but I never threw his name in there.”

Jordan also cited Thomas’ past on-court feuds with Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird and even Magic Johnson as other potential threats to the team chemistry if Thomas had been selected to the Dream Team. Whether Jordan is telling the truth or not, it appears he’s taking the Shaggy approach.

“If you wanna attribute it to me, go ahead, be my guest,” he said. “But it wasn’t me.”